Liar, Liar
by YokohamaBeans
Summary: KiseOCAkashi. All Sugiyama Saeri wanted after a rather brutal rejection was to save her dignity, nothing else. So, she told a little white lie and became an overnight sensation as the girlfriend of some model she has never met before. How's a girl to deal? Well, tell more lies, of course...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Kuroko no Basket_, and the plot is loosely based on the lovably adorable Korean Drama, _Lie To Me_.**

* * *

**Liar, Liar**

_**Prologue**_

* * *

Sugiyama Saeri was never the type to confess.

In her opinion, confessing was a job meant for men, not women. God gave boys a good set of balls and a good lot of testosterone, and so they should put both to good use by taking the brave, first step of conveying their feelings to the girls they like and asking them out to dates. It is only proper and masculine; it is what they were born to do. On the other hand, God gave girls a better set of boobs and a better lot of estrogen, and thus they should put both to better use by patiently waiting for the guys they like to confess and ask them out to dates. The other way round would only be shameless and desperate; it would be totally messing up the order of Nature.

It would be simply... undignified.

However, after many,_ many _weeks of contemplation, Saeri decided that the only way for _him_ to notice her was if she took that sacred first step, considering how he seemed to only have eyes for the basketball court or the shogi board. Furthermore, she was tired of her heart feeling like a nuclear bomb waiting to be dropped when she caught glimpses of him during assembly and breaks, or sometimes on the school stage when he made announcements regarding his club and the Student Council. Thus, the girl steeled her nerves, kept the blessings of her friends in her heart and mind, and made the long, arduous journey to Tokyo where Rakuzan High Basketball Club would be playing matches for the Interhigh.

It wasn't like this confession of hers only required a few lines going by "I like you" or something, she had to _work_ her ass off for it. Being the omnipotent wonderboy who excelled in everything sports to looks to academics to family background, it would only be right for the girl of Akashi Seijuro to be so as well. Considering the fact that the last aspect was something outside her control, Saeri struggled hard to fulfil the other three; she adhered to a strict exercise regime to keep her body fit and slim, took great efforts to keep her complexion clear and fair, and studied her socks off to top the cohort for the recent major exams_. Therefore,_ she thought as she stepped into the foyer of the stadium,_ I deserve to at least look him in the eyes._

She was quite sure that it wasn't some fickle crush either. Their first meeting dated way back to kindergarten; she was particularly upset and lonely on a certain day when all of her playmates coincidentally caught the flu, and was made to feel like a complete loser when the rest of the class actually _forgot_ about her in a game of hide-and-seek. Thus, five-year-old Saeri was left dejected and scared under an old, sandy slide all by herself. She was convinced that an evil entity would find her and take her away instead, but she was far too afraid to move (and she didn't want to reveal herself to the class and remind them that they'd forgotten about her), and was about to bawl her eyes out when she looked up to see a red-haired boy from the adjacent class staring down at her with the emptiest pair of eyes she'd ever seen. He asked "what are you doing down there", and in that instance she decided she was going to marry the boy one day and spend the rest of her life with him in an eternal world of sunshines, flowers and puppies. Simply because he found and rescued her from... whatever that was going to take her away. It also helped that he had the cutest face a boy could ever possess.

As life would have it, her family had to move away from Tokyo to Kyoto for her father's occupation, and she was forced to leave the boy, who she nearly forgot about a few years later anyway. However, one would never totally erase one's First Love from his or her mind (plus, she had a rather good memory, -with the help of photographs), and they reunited once again on the second day of Rakuzan High. Apparently, he moved to Kyoto as well (for reasons unknown to her), and although Saeri didn't think much of him at first (it _had_ been _years_, you know), her feelings were rekindled after noticing the signs and hints that Fate had so kindly left behind:

Firstly, she found out that her father was working under his father. Familial relations, check.

Secondly, they had the same P.E slot (plus he a very good body) and passed each other by in the corridors often enough.

Thirdly, she has never had a boyfriend before despite her above average looks and personable character (or so she believed), so Fate _must_ be saving her for him!

And lastly, but most importantly, he once told her mortal enemy, the ultimate bitch Shijima Mariko, to get out of his way. That sealed the deal.

Although she had never spoken a full sentence to him before, and she wondered if he even knew about her existence, Saeri was dead sure that she was going to be the future Mrs Akashi. Hello? Kindergarten schoolmates, associated families, and high school schoolmates once again, -everything points to destined lovers, doesn't it? Well, according to shoujo mangas and drama serials it does. She could already see herself attending business parties with him, and living in a posh mansion right out of a Parisian designer's mind.

But first, they have to establish at least a talking ground, and get to know each other. However, it did not seem like he was going to initiate it, and thus she took it upon herself to do so.

This confession was different; it wasn't shameless or desperate, or against the order of Nature. On the contrary, it would only be speeding up the inevitable.

She knew next to nothing about basketball except that seemingly only cool guys and sporty girls play and support it (and so she felt very out of place at the bustling stadium), but she decided that Akashi, no, _Seijuro_ could tell her everything about it. Speak of the devil, here he comes! From the stadium entrance! Looking as Godly as ever in those red locks and mismatched eyes.

Heart thumping faster than the hooves of a galloping horse, she took a deep breath and walked up to him.

His team gave her curious looks upon noting the familiar school uniform, but she wasn't going to let that affect her. In the most polite form of speech, she asked if she could talk to him for a moment.

He said yes after a substantial silence, and she had to stop herself from cheering.

After making sure that they were completely alone, she calmed her nerves and suddenly, her feet were the most fascinating things in the world.

"So?"

Jolting at his voice, she peered up with anxious eyes.

_Argh, it's now or never._

"I'd like to get to know more about Akashi-kun."

(Because she wasn't_ that_ thick-skinned to go straight out and say "I like you".)

After what seemed like an eternity, she heard his very, very flat reply.

"I'm sorry, but unfortunately, I dislike girls who make the first move." His heterochromatic eyes pierced straight into her soul. "It's rather undignified."

And Saeri was left standing at the stadium's bicycle stands alone, feeling shameless, desperate, and completely mortified.

* * *

*******This chapter was replaced to make some amendments.**

**A/N: Ummm, so this came out at the spur of the moment. This chapter isn't much, but I hope Saeri's likable, or at least not irritating so far...**

**Thoughts? :)**


	2. The First Lie

With her hair spread and body limp upon the cushioned bench of a karaoke room, Saeri bore little difference to a drunk, subdued zombie. Especially with her glassy eyes that seemed to stare into indefinite oblivion. It also did not help that she had been feebly holding a microphone close to her lips and massacring lyrics off the television screen with listless abandon.

"_Yoo ah orlways gunna be, my, lorve, itsuuuka_- WHY?!" The speakers blasted a sudden screech and she shot up into a slumping, sitting position, crying into the amplifier, brows curved upwards and compressing the flesh above her lids. "Why, why, _why_ didn't he give me a chance? Why?! TELL ME WHY?!"

No, it definitely did not help Sugiyama Hiroki at all.

The 20-year-old university student gave a tired sigh and pinched his nose bridge. It was a mistake to give his younger sister that glass of cocktail after all, even if she had practically screamed for him to order one with waterfalls down her cheeks, tearfully claiming that she was old enough to appreciate its rejuvenating qualities. Of course, being under-aged and never actually tasting one before, the moping girl transformed into a moping monster after downing the entire cup. And he was sure that the alcohol content wasn't even that high!

"What is so bad about me?! Huh?! I did everything for him! EVERYTHING!" He cringed for his ears when she continued interrogating the air with the mike. "I exercised, I studied, and even gave up ice-cream for him! How, just how could he just reject me like that? And no, he didn't only reject me, he even_ insulted_ me. He told me that I was undignified! Who the hell was giving up her dignity for you, you bastard? HUH?!"

He effortlessly dodged a flying pillow.

"Nii-chan, I've never felt so embarrassed, angry, and heartbroken in life before!" Saeri abruptly whipped to the tall, dark-haired man standing above her with his arms akimbo, her black eyes digging into his. "What do I do now? What can I do now?" She allowed her face to fall into the pillows before her, moaning depressingly into them.

Hiroki could not help but feel a little bad for her. From her texts and emails, she seemed pretty into the guy. She was lucky that his apartment was nearby the stadium, and was thus able to fetch her from there and drive the petrified girl to a karaoke box so that she could explain the entire story to him,-complete with her very personal (and biased) commentary about the guy's actions-, and perhaps cheer her up. Being the (sometimes unwilling) loving sibling he was, Hiroki would have allowed his Big Brother Instincts to go on hyper drive and clocked the little bastard who dared to hurt his beloved sister in the face... only if said little bastard wasn't the one son of their father's boss, and if Saeri was at least justified and not delusional in her feelings towards him. Although his heart did ache for the sopping mess before him, the rejection and intensity of the subsequent heartbreak was her own fault, really.

"Aye'f gawddeet." He heard a vague, muffled mumble, and she suddenly shot up with vivid signs of an epiphany on her face. The excited girl who clearly wasn't in the right mind then clambered up to stand on two feet on the lounge couch, clutching the microphone to her mouth to announce that she's "GOT IT!"

Hiroki felt his lips slack lopsidedly. "Hah?"

"I'm going to write a letter," she declared, "telling him how big of a chance he'd let slip by, and how much he's gonna regret it. And then, I'm going to tell everybody in this place how much of an asshole he is. Oh my God, I'm a freaking _genius_!"

"No, you're freaking crazy." The man gave up, deciding to allow her some alone time to cool off. "Whatever, I'm going to the gents."

"You don't think that I'll do it, do ya?!" Saeri challenged, holding the singing stick ever so closely and watching her brother's back disappear from the door. "I'll show it, I'll prove it to you! YOU HEAR ME?!"

With insane determination, she grabbed a large paper napkin provided by the staff, cleared a space on the table, and started writing with the marker pen they also gave, eyes wide in concentration and smile becoming increasingly deranged. It was a good thing that the napkin was of better and sturdier material, and thus did not tear under the force she was carving her words with.

And when she was done, Saeri folded her 'letter' with a satisfied huff and maneuvered her way out to the corridors of the karaoke box.

* * *

**Liar, Liar**

_**The First Lie**_

* * *

Kise Ryouta loved going to the karaoke box; it was his favourite pastime after all. Well, next to basketball, of course.

It was a Friday, they were already outside, and nobody complained of an extra amount of homework that needed the priority of time. Thus, the Small Forward of Kaijo High Basketball Club could not help but suggest (and coerce) his other teammates to visit the karaoke box the moment they stepped out of the stadium, having been spectators to several matches. They agreed, and soon the Blue Elites found themselves occupying a room.

Being human (though of Godly appearance), even the model had to answer the call of Nature, and thus excused himself for about five minutes, promising to return in time for Hayakawa's rendition of a popular song. He did his business, took a tiny bit of time to fix his hair, and walked quickly, but casually back to his room, minding his own business when suddenly, in his path stood a girl.

She ducked her blushing head down in a bow, brandishing a notebook and pen. "P-Please, Kise-san, can I have an autograph?"

The idol blinked in mild surprise, but flashed a cheerful grin nonetheless, and accepted the stationery. "Of course! Your name is...?"

"Y-Yukiko!" The heat on her face was beyond control.

The amazingly handsome teen added the finishing strokes, and returned the book and pen with the same, bright smile. After much bowing and thanking and near-fainting, the girl left him with a giddy skip and disappeared down the corridor, and Kise made to continue his way, only to have another girl blocking his path once again.

"Oh, would you like an autograph too?" He offered a kind smile, but dropped it the moment she brazenly pointed a finger at him.

"_You_," she growled as though she had been searching for him all the while, the other hand on a hip. "I'm going to tell you about the world's biggest, greatest, jerkiest jerk, and the kind of shit that he does."

"E-Eh?" It was only then he realised that the pink tinge on her cheeks was due to an alcohol rush, not bashfulness, and he suddenly found himself roughly dragged by the collar to an unoccupied two-seater room. He was thrown unceremoniously onto a cushioned chair, and watched in complete shock and utter confusion as she took the opposite seat.

"Alright." She slammed a rather dirty napkin onto the table separating them. "What I'm going to tell you is on such a high level of asshole-try that you can't even beat it even if you murdered somebody and shot their dog at the same time, 'coz that's how I'm feeling now."

Kise glanced nervously at the girl and the door. This girl here was nuts, or maybe just really drunk (she's his age, -not even legal!), and he really wanted to get out. No girl has ever said or did something like this to him before (aside from his mother and sisters), and her crazy words and actions were scaring him in the way that he did not know how to react, nor know what to say.

As he was contemplating his course of action, the girl abruptly broke down in tears, dropping the side of her face onto the table and wailing pitifully. "For months and months and months, I've been working hard, dieting hard, and studying hard so that I could be of a better match to him. But all it took was one second, and one sentence to destroy those months of efforts and turn them into dust!"

Golden orbs shot down to the sobbing girl, and softened upon seeing how distraught she was.

"Do you know how much I like him?" She lifted her head to meet his gaze, and threw her body back and arms apart, "I like him thiiiiiiiiiiiis much, you know?!"

Maybe he could calm her down with some sweet talking, and perhaps make his escape when she was subdued enough. The model flashed a smile worthy of his part-time profession, although he doubt that she could even see it considering how intently she was looking between her outstretched limbs. "W-Well, he must be a pretty awesome guy for a girl like you to like him," -he briefly glanced at the wide gap between her hands-, "thaaaaaaat much."

The sudden expression of gratitude and giddy admiration on her face sent an ominous wave of foreboding to him. "Of course! Oh my God, I have to tell you everything," her brows tilted upwards and she clutched at her chestnut brown hair, whining, "but I don't know where to start!"

"U-Um, maybe you don't have to?"

"Nonsense." The girl then started breaking out into silly giggles and a story dating back to her kindergarten days, when she was stuck under a slide... because her friends caught the flu?!

The exit door has never felt so far away from Kise before.

* * *

Amidst snacking on complementary crackers, gulping down ordered drinks and trying their best to destroy the karaoke set, Kasamatsu Yukio had a nagging feeling that his team was forgetting something.

"Hey, how long has it been since Kise went to the toilet?" He turned to the person beside him, trying to get his question across with Hayakawa's fifth attempt at an English song, which sounded especially odd and laughable when _'love'_ and_ 'sorry'_ always came out as _'rove'_ and_ 'solly'_.

"About twenty minutes? Don't worry. He probably ran into some of his fans." Moriyama replied with casual logic, then turned to the desperate idol-wannabe. "Stop hogging it!"

The captain saw the sense, shrugged off his slight anxiety, and helped himself to more drinks while trying to retain at least some hearing in his right ear.

* * *

Hiroki returned to an empty room with pillows, tissue papers, empty snack bags, and cups covering every visible inch of the floor, and immediately knew that he was going to suffer a headache.

_You're_ so_ going to be the housemaid this weekend,_ he thought viciously as he bent over to pick up the various rubbish, _you're_ so_ going to have a fun time washing my laundry._

He had left his house in Kyoto a year and a half ago to move back to Tokyo in order to pursue his higher education. Their family wasn't filthy rich, but were living comfortably enough to not worry about costs. With a part-time job at retailing, his scholarship money and a some support from his parents, he was able to rent an apartment in the city and pay for petrol fees (the car was a hand-me-down from his father, and he couldn't complain), and was thus living a pretty much cushy life. Well, excluding the toil of his studies, of course. His family would visit him once a month on a weekend, and his father sometimes twice as he often travelled to Tokyo for work (considering the frequency he came, Hiroki wondered why didn't they just move back here). Whenever they came, only his sister would stay at his apartment while their parents would book a hotel, presumably wanting their own privacy for... reasons he would not like to fathom.

As such, it wasn't odd for Mrs Sugiyama to receive a call that Saeri would be setting camp in Tokyo for the weekend, provided that she gets back to Kyoto by Sunday evening.

Hiroki briefly wondered where his troublemaking sister had wandered off to, but any silver of worry was instantly extinguished when he saw a cola stain on the carpet, most likely from a shoved cup when she cleared the table to write her letter.

A vein throbbed violently in his left temple.

* * *

"Wait, so you're telling me that just because you guys were in the same kindergarten, coincidentally in the same high school, have affiliated fathers through something as impersonal as _work,_ and maybe bumped into each other in school a few times, you're convinced that you two are a_ match made in heaven_?" Kise could not help but gawk a little at the logic, made more incredulous when he added, "and you have_ never_ spoken to each other before, excluding the _one_ line he said when you were kids and the rejection, and you don't even _know_ what sort of guy he is?"

"Preeeeecisely." The girl nodded as though it made all the sense in the world, and then pointed challengingly at the model with narrowed eyes. "You think I'm wrong?!"

"..." He took a few moments to pull back his slackened jaw and then nodded with overenthusiastic agreement. "Nope. Nope, you are perfectly right. He's a jerk to not feel that way as well."

"I know, right?!"

Kise hadn't expected that he would stay to listen to her entire story, which was totally nonsensical and made less sense than Hayakawa speaking Eng(r)ish. From her account, -the worst part of which was that it is most likely her genuine opinion-, he could tell that she was either very delusional, or perhaps forced herself into thinking that she liked the guy (she amazingly did not mention his name, referring him as 'That Piece of Shit' or 'That Asshole') for whatever reasons. Although half the time he was simply nodding away and accommodating to her insane logic, it was a rather interesting encounter, and the girl a very funny person. Odd, but not weird.

"Anyway," she tilted her chin up from her elbows which she rested her face on to look at him, a goofy smile stretching her lips, "you're a rrrreeeeaaaalllyyyy nice guy, y'know? I mean, why would anybody take their time to listen to some stupid girl's rejection?"

Kise was about to burst out that_ she_ was the one who_ dragged him_ here, but decided against it and shrugged in false modesty.

"Since you're such a nice guy, come," she sat up with the biggest grin on her face and patted her chest with one hand, "let me order you a drink. My treat."

The basketballer raised his palms to settle her down, "no, no, it's fine, you don't have to!"

"Nonsense!" She returned the gesture, but forced her hand all the way until it nearly hit him in the face, and then took a deep breath and yelled, "WAAAAAAITER! GET ME A GLASS OF WAAAAATER!"

"We're not in a restaurant..." Kise sighed and felt his eye twitching.

He watched with his cheek on his knuckles as she remained still with a finger up in the air and her eyes squeezed shut as though a wave of headache had hit her, and pondered what she would be like as a sober person. Appearance-wise, he couldn't be sure with that messy mop of brown hair that covered her scarlet face, but she was a slim girl (through a great deal of dieting and exercise, according to her) and would seem to clean up pretty well. He noted that she was wearing the Rakuzan High uniform, and vaguely wondered if she knew the famous Akashi Seijuro. Speaking of famous, would she have recognised him from the idol magazines? Would she feel completely mortified that she had acted like this? What would she do?

As he was about to tell her that he had to leave, the room door slammed wide open with a deafening_ bang! _and in its frame stood an older tall man with Hell on his face. He was fairly good-looking, Kise noticed, but nearly shrinked back when the newcomer tore his way towards the girl with the ferocity of a barracuda. The model blinked as he watched the guy clamp a claw-like hand onto her neck, growling straight from his gutter, "you, you are _so_ dead. I was out wondering where the hell you went when I heard a crazy voice asking for a _waiter_ in a _karaoke box_, and I knew that it had to be you."

"Ah, Nii-chan, what are you doing he- EEEK!" She squealed and squirmed as he roughly yanked her up by her collar and dragged her towards the door. Before leaving, he gave an apologetic bow to a rather shell-shocked Kise. "I'm so sorry that you had to put up with my stupid sister's stupid nonsense."

"U-Uh, no, it's alright." The blonde gave an uncertain smile, and his golden eyes lingered as the man nodded a final time and shoved the struggling girl down the corridor.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey ,hey, hey, hey! Where are we going? HEY! I haven't said goodbye to that nice guy yet! HEEEEY!" Her voice slowly faded away, and Kise Ryota was suddenly left feeling very alone in the room.

His mouth dropped slightly as he recalled the happenings that had taken place, unsure of what to think or feel about it, when an innocuous, dirty-looking paper napkin caught his attention. Realising that the 'dirt' that stained it was actually ink in the form of Japanese characters, he picked it up and unfolded its creases, reading the passage on it.

_Dearest Baka-shit_ (a crudely drawn picture of a retarded turd was beside),

_How dare the lowly you dare to reject the Almighty Me? Is there anything wrong with this Almighty Me? Almighty I am pretty, smart, fun, awesome with a great body and an even better face and the best personality, and you rejected me just like that?! _(various words were adorned with a bikini body, brains, and sparkles scratched out around them)

_Almighty I will have lowly you know that I will be over you in about a day. And when you're going to regret ever rejecting me when I make it real big in the future, it's gonna be too late. Toooooooooo late! Too bad that I'll watch you from my pedestal like you're a piece of crap smaller than ants._

_How do you live with yourself, you punk?!_

_Yours insincerely, and your only best chance in life,_

_Sugiyama Saeri._

(a devil-horned smiley face was signed below with a speech bubble declaring "SMELL MY FART!")

_P.S, but my Almighty self is forgiving. If you beg hard enough I might reconsider._

Kise was torn between laughing his heart out and crying for her dignity. After sniggering as he re-read the 'letter' a couple more times, he folded it and placed it in his pocket, deciding that it was a good keepsake for an encounter like that.

As it would be too troublesome to explain everything, he simply told his teammates when he finally returned that he had ran into a group of fans.

* * *

The Sugiyama siblings had left the karaoke box with deadly glares aimed at their retreating backs, presumably over the cola stains on the carpets.

Hiroki threw the now-catatonic girl into the passenger seat, sighing to himself and asking the Lord in the skies for a change of sister. As he drove towards his apartment complex, Saeri searched druggedly around her surroundings and herself.

"My rejection letter..." She mumbled gormlessly, and then suddenly shouted, nearly causing the driver beside to crash into another car, "MY REJECTION LETTER! THAT NOT-SO-NICE GUY STOLE IT!"

The university student entertained the thought of leaving her in the middle of the streets.

* * *

**A/N: Haha, yes I guess that Saeri is a proud person (but not arrogant!) and it would be that pride that would cause her downfall (or windfall, maybe? :P). This chapter may present her as a complete nutcase with too much of an ego, but she's just drunk. Her real character will be fleshed out soon. :) And I hope that Kise is in character!**

**Thank you so much for the reviews,** hokkyokukou**,** hlflores**, and** Miss Catlover Chii**! And everybody who has read and followed. :) **

Miss Catlover Chii: Saeri is in Rakuzan High, was I not clear enough in the prologue? ;_; That's how she met Akashi again!

**I'll try my best to upload the next chappie up ASAP, this is fun to write XD **

**Meanwhile, your thoughts? :)**


	3. Lie Twice

The more she thought about it, the more humiliated and suicidal she felt.

"ARGHHH! How could I have done that? How could I have done and said all that?!" Saeri grasped at her scalp and shook her head with increasing agitation, attracting several stares from passers-by on the street. "And to a handsome guy even...?! ARGHHH!"

Although she was blessed with a relatively painless morning despite her inebriation the evening before, the girl would have given anything for a crippling headache to replace the overwhelming embarrassment she was currently buckling under. She had awoken to groggy vision and a blurry mind, questioning about the previous night's happenings to no one in particular when in came Hiroki with an excruciatingly detailed narration about her drunken misadventure, which she recoiled in terror upon hearing while he smiled dementedly with gleeful sadism. To be honest, -as shallow as it sounds-, maybe Saeri wouldn't have felt so mortified if she had done what she did to a physically unattractive person, or perhaps even a girl; why, just _why_ did she have to grab a guy (her age!) who was good-looking enough to be acknowledged even by her brother?!

"I must have looked such an idiot..." she whined pathetically, palms pressing her cheeks as she envisioned the victim looking at her in disgust. She had a vague recollection of his looks: golden hair with matching golden eyes, and something -a piercing, or mole?- in his left ear. A clear image of his face was about to manifest itself in her mind when it shattered with a physical jolt; her shoulder had collided into someone else's.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I wasn't-" She stopped mid-sentence as she registered the person before with wide eyes: Shijima Mariko, arguably the most reviling being in the entire Universe and Beyond.

"Oh my, what a coincidence! If it isn't Sugiyama-san!" She feigned surprise, complete with a hand on her perfectly full lips. "Kyoto boys won't pay you any attention, so you're searching Tokyo for some?"

"I don't stoop to _your_ level, Shijima." Saeri spat, trying to return the sass and sarcasm. However, her self-esteem was undeniably shaken by the topic of her words, and thus folded her arms in an attempt to hide the discomfort. She cursed inwardly when she realised that the enemy was clad in stylish, branded clothing from coiffed head to pedicured toes while she herself had just thrown on one of her brother's shirts and an old pair of shorts she kept in the apartment. "W-What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Nothing much, just visiting Soichirou-kun's family in Tokyo. It's his grandfather's birthday, you see," the smirk on Mariko's flawless face was nauseating. "I don't suppose_ you_ would understand. I mean, being single and all. Seriously, even _Tanizawa-san_ could get one."

The scowl that Saeri bore was souring with every passing nanosecond; how could she dispute an undisputable fact? And the worst part of this all was that she had just been rejected the day before! Speaking of the rejection, it doesn't seem that anybody apart from Akashi, Hiroki and herself knows about it considering the normalcy of the conversations she's been having with her friends, and she wished and hoped for it to remain that way.

The two girls have been enemies ever since they met during the school entrance ceremony. Mariko, wealthy, beautiful and elegant, was submitting her application to join Rakuzan High's renowned Classical Dance Club, when she overheard Saeri and her friends wondering if they should initiate a Street Dance Club, the activity being their core interest. Having been indoctrinated to take great pride in the prestige and genteel elegance that her dance style possessed, Mariko could not suppress a loud sneer and scoff, openly expressing her disdain for the "unsophisticated street rat sort of movement." Things transitioned uglily after that.

Saeri's group's proposal was successful and the Rakuzan High Street Dance Club was established, with Saeri as the Vice-President and her good friend Kirishima Chiaki the President. Meanwhile, Mariko's natural affinity for Ballet, coupled with years of experience since childhood, positioned her as the Classical Dance Club's best dancer, and soon the First-Year President. Ever since then, the rivalry between Rakuzan's two only dance clubs and their respective heads had been an infamous subject within the school.

Unfortunately, Mariko was winning in almost every area, from the success of her club to her personal life. It was the biggest gossip when Mariko had got together with the handsome, rich, and clever captain of Rakuzan High's Golf Club, and she made it especially and painfully known to Saeri, the perpetual singleton.

"Well, since I _am_ a nice person, I'll share a few tips with you," the Ballet dancer said in false generosity. "For starters, I highly doubt that guys like girls who wear their brother's clothing. Gives off an... incestuous vibe, maybe?"

Saeri gritted her teeth, and was about surrender and retort a weak comeback when her phone vibrated and rang. She tore her glare away from Mariko's infuriatingly triumphant smile and directed it to the gadget's screen, and suddenly, an idea lighted up in her mind like God's rays after the Flood.

_"Hey lil' troublemaker, where are you? Don't forget that you have to wash my clothes."_ It was Hiroki, but for the moment, she ignored that fact.

Without even considering the consequences, Saeri turned away from her schoolmate and spoke a high and adoring voice into her phone, making sure to emphasise certain words and keep a hushed, but loud enough volume. "Hey darling! I ran into a friend from school and got a little held up. I'll be over there very soon! Sorry to keep you waiting, I'll make up for it with our you-know-what! See you in five, I love you!"

_"Saeri, what the f-" _The girl hung up and turned back, her eyes relishing the dumbfounded expression that Mariko did not even bother to contain. Seeing the utter shock and confusion of her rival did wonders to her confidence at that moment, but Saeri gave an abashed smile instead. "Oops, did you hear all that? You weren't supposed to. Sorry!"

"W-W-W-Who was that?!" The wealthy blonde stuttered, unable to believe what she had just overheard. "It can't possibly be your-"

"Ah, this is difficult to explain..." Saeri pursed her lips in mock dilemma, and pretended to contemplate for a moment before looking up again. "Well, since you heard it anyway... That was my boyfriend. I was on my way to a date before bumping into you."

Her facial muscles ached to hide the glee in seeing an open-mouthed gape.

"Y-Your boyfriend? Who?!" Mariko was unable to believe it. It was definitely a lie. "Since when?!"

Sense finally began to settle into Saeri's brain, and the uncertain look that she sported was not entirely false anymore. If she were to pull this off convincingly, she would firstly need a model to emulate her imaginary boyfriend after. Without hesitation, Akashi Seijuro appeared and she could not agree on it any better -Akashi was good-looking, rich, and famous; he would definitely knock Mariko off her feet.

"Well, I can't tell you who he is, because we are keeping this low-profile. He's quite well-known, and we wouldn't like any gossip floating around. Not even Chiaki knows about this!" However, to prevent it from sounding like a total lie, she threw in additional details: "it's been going on for a month."

"Ho!" Mariko scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You expect me to believe something as vague as that? How pitiful you have to be if you need to fake a boyfriend!"

"Hmph, it's up to you to believe it or not," Saeri raised her brows and gave a look showing that she couldn't care less about her opinion. "I'll give you a hint; he plays basketball and is in our year."

_Basketball? Our year? Well-known?_ Unwillingly, the President searched around the names that she knew, but to no plausible avail. There was barely any interaction between them!_ Is he from another school?_ Her distraction gave her rival an opportunity to escape, and Saeri wasted no time in taking it.

"As you just found out, I'm late, so I've gotta go. See you on Monday!" She made sure that_ her_ triumphant smile was visible to the astounded girl until her back was completely facing her, and dropped it like a weight immediately. The speed of her walk increased with every step, and she practically jogged until she was sure that the distance was far enough, finding herself in an uncongested, idle street.

"Oh my God, _what_ have I _done_?" The full extent of the potential severity had finally hit her, and Saeri felt an ice-cold sensation creeping up her violently thumping heart. She raised her hands to tug at her hair, her brows tilted in anxiety. "This is bad...! What if she finds out that I don't really have one...? Oh my _God_, I have to think this through!"

She walked for a little further until she spotted a café that seemed empty and quiet enough for a consolidation of thoughts, and she quickly darted in, pleased to see that it was indeed void of any other customers. She ordered a simple cup of latte, and began listing out the possibilities that her story could go.

Meanwhile, Mariko had dug her phone out and was furiously texting her clique, informing them of what she'd just heard.

* * *

**Liar, Liar**

_**Lie Twice**_

* * *

Although all he had to do was to strike a few poses and basically look glamorous, modelling was tough work. Continuously changing into suits of multiple-layers under a constricted time was tedious, keeping still while the make-up artist applied cosmetics was unbearable with an itch or urge to sneeze, and giving smiles and poses that were up to the photographer's satisfaction was stressful and repetitive.

As such, all Kise wanted to do after a shoot in Tokyo was to relax by himself before heading home. He needed a place with very little people as he didn't feel like entertaining fans at the moment, -his cheeks were aching after maintaining a smile for over three hours-, and alas, found the perfect spot in an uncongested, idle street. There were a few cafes in it, and most of them had young teens sitting around, so he chose an insignificant one tucked away in a corner as it seemed to only have one patron.

Indeed, to his joy, it did contain only a single customer (a rather hassled brunette), and he took a seat a few tables away, asking for the menu and considering what he should order.

It would have been a perfectly simple task if agitated mumblings didn't constantly attack his thoughts, and Kise had no choice but to raise his head and politely ask for the other customer if she could keep her voice down a bit.

"Um, excuse me?"

_"-but it would be too exaggerating to-_ What?" Saeri was in the middle of constructing a plausible story when a male's voice had called. She looked around the café, ascertaining that he was referring to her given that they were the only two patrons, and turned back to the blonde guy a couple of metres away from her, pointing at her chest. "Me?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry, but could you-..." Kise trailed off when he properly saw her face, familiarity registering in his brain. It seemed that she recognised him too, because her eyes were beginning to grow bigger with realization every passing moment, and it did not look like it grew with happiness; it grew with dread.

"Crazy Rejected Girl!"

"Golden-boy Rejection Letter Thief!"

Her mind was blank and her throat dry. Never did Saeri expect to run into the very same person she did the day before, and neither did she want to. However, she could not help but continue to stare in gaping shock until the guy stood up and made to move towards her.

Initially, Kise was numbly surprise, but memories of the laugh she had given him seeped through his mind, and before he could help it, he found himself pushing his body up and walking towards her. Was this fate? It was completely unexpected that he would meet the very same person he did the day before, and even more so when he realised that she had gotten up to move to a farther table.

Usually, girls would either stay rooted to the spot or gravitate towards him whenever he approached them, so it was a pleasant change of routine that this girl, -Sugiyama Saeko? Shiori?-, was doing the exact opposite. It was also funny that she wore an expression akin to that of a hunted prey, and thus, like a predator, he followed after her, wanting to interact with her now that she was sober.

Saeri mentally cursed and asked the Heavens if God was taking pleasure in tormenting her. What kind of fate was this? Firstly, she had been rejected by the most perfect boy on Earth, secondly, she ridiculed herself in front of a hot guy after that, thirdly, she had told a lie that she was not supposed to, and now, she's trapped in the same place as the hot guy in the above-mentioned second disaster?! Life was pretty bad at the moment, what was going to come next? International infamy?

The girl decided that she must avoid this person, no matter how irresistibly handsome he may be. Her embarrassment had deepened upon noticing how good-looking the guy was; it was beyond her imagination and it made the humiliation sting even worse. The moment he had gotten within a metre from her, she had already scrambled to the table beside, furtively sneaking glances at her new unwanted follower.

The manager of the small establishment was feeling very amused; his two patrons, strangers he had presumed, were now in a very awkward game of catch, definitely a refreshing sight after an afternoon of meagre business. The girl was desperately moving from table to table with increasing speed, while the guy effortlessly caught up. Eventually, the former had trapped herself in a corner of the café, where she made the mistake of sliding into a seat next to a wall.

"Caught you at last!" A smile came naturally as Kise sat down, facing the girl who was amusingly trying to hide her face with a café menu.

Saeri decided that perhaps it would be better if she confronted the situation with dignity, and thus set the laminated paper down while arranging her hair and avoiding his eyes. She gave a very dry cough. "Do I know you?"

"Apparently, seeing as you just called me, -what? Golden-boy Rejection Letter Thief? How did that come about?" He grinned, highly entertained now. It also helped that the girl, -he noticed, true to her own claim-, was very pretty. With wavy, shoulder-length chestnut brown hair and bangs that hung over large, dark eyes which contrasted against fair, unblemished skin, he questioned the sanity of the guy who rejected her. "Well, even if you've forgot, I can refresh your memory. We met at the karaoke box yesterday, where you came at me out of nowhere and-"

"Oh, look at the time, I must go!" She uttered loudly and quickly, escape being the number one priority in her list at the moment. Before he could react, she grabbed her bag and stalked out of the café door, apologising to the manager about her cancelled order. Slightly stunned at a girl's outright desire to leave him, he blinked a couple of times before sense kicked in and he frantically jogged out to follow her.

"Oi!" Kise wracked his brains for her name, and found it when a picture of her napkin-letter surfaced. "Sugiyama Saeri!"

It was no use, the girl had hastened her pace instead. Sighing, he ran up and seized her by the wrist, pulling her backwards and twirling her body around until it fell onto his chest. Upon contact, he wrapped his arms around the immobilised brunette, victoriously smirking now that she could not escape him anymore.

Passers-by on the street were beginning to observe the scene with growing curiosity, and the lounging younger females squealed with hormonal excitement, alerting friends about the romantic gesture that a handsome man had executed so smoothly. Some had even took out their phones to snap a picture or two.

"Hey...?" Being shocked was an understatement. It took a few seconds for Saeri to realise that she was in the embrace of an extremely hot guy, but unfortunately, she could not enjoy the pleasure as firstly, he was not Akashi Seijuro, and secondly, she was painfully aware of the stares that they were receiving. "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? Let go of me! HEY!"

"Will you stop running away now?" Kise decided that it would be safe to gently release his hold, and did so while keeping a cautious eye on the bewildered and slightly breathless girl. He watched as she self-consciously smoothened her hair and clothes, then turned towards him with an accusing look in her wide eyes.

"T-That could be crime, you know? I could have reported you!"

"Hmm? I don't usually get that kind of reaction after doing that," the model pouted in false dejection, but beamed once again with a wink, actually happy that she was being evasive instead.

Saeri desperately refused to meet his eyes, glancing at him for less than a second when she needed to talk, "so w-what do you want?"

Kise observed the flustered girl before him. Although he truthfully enjoyed the attention and fawning he received at times, what he really wanted was a girl that could interact normally with him without the driving agenda of wanting to be his girlfriend for either his looks or status or both; what he really wanted was a female _friend_. Momoi fulfilled the criteria, but he would never have a bond with her like the one she shared with Aomine. She was _Aomine's_ friend. Not that he viewed her as an object or anything, he simply wanted a good female friend of his own.

He could tell that Saeri was no doubt affected by his handsome appearance, but he sensed no desire to be with him from the girl at all. He concluded that maybe she was still devoted to the guy who rejected her, or seeing him reminded her too much about her ridiculous antics, and therefore showed zero interest in the model. If anything, it seemed that she really wanted to get rid of him! There was no way that Kise would let a chance like this pass up, and hence, he flashed a killer smile that would be sure to incline her to agree, "hey, don't you think that it's far too coincidental for us to bump into each other again?"

The brunette could not help but scream an anguished_ 'YES!'_ in her mind, but her lips instead produced a deadpan "...Not really."

"Come on! Let's be friends! Spend the day with me," he thumped at his chest in an assuring manner, "I promise you that we'll have fun. What do you say?"

_Oh my God, is he asking me out?!_ Saeri could not help but wonder as her eye surveyed the grinning boy with caution and hope. She was about to give in to temptation and mumble a relenting "well..." when a vague scene of her clutching and dragging his collar flashed past, and she immediately spun her back to him to hide her glowing face. "No. I'm busy."

"Ehhhh?"

"Besides, I live in Kyoto." She faced him once again when she was certain that the blush had faded, crossing her arms as though it would serve as a barrier. "Even if we do become friends, there would be no way for the friendship to work out."

_Oh, right, she's attending Rakuzan._ His heart and smile had sank a little, but Kise would not give up. "Then we can become pen pals, or something!"

"I'll pass," the dancer decided that she had to be merciless with an iron fist and heart, and thus closed her eyes with a definite huff. "I don't want to have your annoying "-ssu", "-ssu", "-ssu" popping up everywhere in my mail, electronic or paper."

However, a stagnant silence pried her left eye open, and she saw the pretty blonde boy casting downtrodden eyes at the ground, disconsolation painfully evident on his handsome face. The sight of him provoked Saeri to question her actions and morals, and she inwardly grieved for and regretted ever causing hurt to such a beautiful being. Uncontrollably, she stammered, "b-b-but I might reconsider. I-I mean, it's cool to have a pen pal and all, ...or something."

"Aha!" The change in Kise's mood was so sudden that it gave even himself a whiplash. "I was so worried that you hated me or something."

"Hey, that's playing dirty!" Saeri shoved a broad shoulder, mildly annoyed and aghast that her feelings were cheated. "That's it! I'm leaving, and you won't ever see me again!"

"Oi, wait!" The basketballer swiped at her retreating back, calling to retrieve her once more. "What about your rejection letter?"

"My rejection letter...?" It worked to effective success. The girl gave an intrigued look over her shoulder, and fully turned her body around upon being reminded. "Oh! My rejection letter! That's right, you stole it!"

"I didn't steal it, you left it behind," Kise frowned, but snickered to himself when he remembered what was written on the napkin. "It's a good thing that you did too, because if you actually sent it, you can kiss your social life goodbye."

"...W-Whatever," she stepped up to him for the second time, able to maintain eye contact this turn but not a blush. "Do you have it?"

"Well, yeah. It's in on my desk at home."

The brunette narrowed her eyes in bewilderment, _"...Why?"_

"No reason," he shrugged, liking the direction that the conversation was heading, "I just thought it would make a good memento since, well, I 'won't ever see you again'."

Saeri bit her lip in contemplation. She couldn't recall what she had wrote on the letter, but from his words, it sounded extremely embarrassing. There would be no way she would be able to rest in peace knowing that an article of such reputational value was in the possession of a stranger's hands, and not to mention, a _hot_ stranger's hands. There was no denying it, she needed to have her letter back.

"I'll meet you again," she muttered indignantly, her crossed arms taut against her chest, "I'll meet you again so that you can pass it back to me."

"Ho?" There was no potential end to Kise's amusement nor the extent of his grin at the moment, "but why would you want a flimsy piece of paper back?"

"That flimsy piece of paper is my confidence and self-worth!" The Vice-President of Rakuzan's Street Dance Club proclaimed, "I don't care, you better give it back. Set a time and place for us to meet tomorrow."

"Hmm, alright," Kaijou's Ace willingly conceded, the cogs in his mind working. Kasamatsu had arranged for extra practise at a sports hub in Tokyo (it had impressive and helpful facilities, apparently) in the morning, so... "four in the afternoon at the café we were in just now?"

"No, that's impossible," Saeri shot it down without hesitation, "I'm leaving Tokyo at noon tomorrow, so we'll have to meet in the morning."

"Huh?! But I have training at nine!"

After much discussion and contemplation on the girl's part, she surrendered and acquiesced to making her way to the stadium that he would be at. Hopefully, after retrieving her belonging, it would be the last of their meetings. He gave her the address and his name, and noted with pleasant surprise that it incited no reaction from her. The boy wanted to exchange email addresses, but she would have none of it, and so he decided that he would try his luck again when they meet the day after.

She soon received a call from her brother, and they parted ways, with Saeri eagerly running away while Kise watched till she disappeared, a satisfied smile gracing his lips.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the pair, their interaction had received far more attention that they were aware of.

Yukiko, an ordinary girl in the third year of middle school, had been boasting to her friends about her extraordinary encounter with the rising model star, Kise Ryouta at the karaoke box the day before, soaking up their envy with pride. She was about to fish out the notebook which contained his sacred touch and autograph when she saw her idol once again in the middle of a lesser-known street, calling out to a girl stomping away from him.

She didn't have the luxury of wondering how someone could possibly walk away from_ the_ Kise Ryouta as he soon enacted a shocking move that struck every single witness with astonishment: he had pulled the retreating girl straight into his arms and held her there.

Without even wasting a split second, she and her group of friends already had their phones raised in their hands, the camera application activated, and took enough shots to fill up half their gadgets' data bytes, covering all possible angles without drawing the star's knowledge.

"Hey, what did Kise-san call her again?" A girl at her side asked, furiously typing in characters onto her phone.

The others were doing exactly the same. "Tsukiyama Sayori? Or did he say Sugizawa Sayori?"

"No, I'm pretty sure that it was Tsugizawa Sayori," Yukiko affirmed, punching in the final few buttons. As her screen flashed a loading bar, she looked up once again to watch the couple talking to each other with avid attention, although she could not hear their words. "We'll add that it's tentative. Anyway, once the pictures are up, people might recognise her, or even know people who personally know her!"

* * *

**_SPOTTED! KISE-SAN HUGGING AN UNIDENTIFIED GIRL!_**  
_by Yukiko_Star on Sat, 3:27pm_

I dont rly know who she is, bt she was seen walking out rather hurriedly and he was chasing her, calling her out by a Tsukiyama Sayori or Sugizawa Saeri or Tsugizawa Sayori, or a name dat sounds like dat. Any idea?

Btw, I didnt know dat he has a gf!

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**_Re: SPOTTED! KISE-SAN HUGGING AN UNIDENTIFIED GIRL!_**  
_by Kise4eva on Sat, 3:33pm_

OMG! SINCE WHEN? IM SO JEALOUS! o

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**_Re: SPOTTED! KISE-SAN HUGGING AN UNIDENTIFIED GIRL!_**  
_by honeygal on Sat, 4:15pm_

Is she from Kaijo too?

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**_Re: SPOTTED! KISE-SAN HUGGING AN UNIDENTIFIED GIRL!_**  
_by Reika3498 on Sat, 5:03pm_

Why am I not surprised... Somebody like him should be overflowing with girlfriends. At least she looks pretty in the pic.

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**_Re: SPOTTED! KISE-SAN HUGGING AN UNIDENTIFIED GIRL!_**  
_by bishieluvzxc on Sat, 6:45pm_

WTH SHES UGLI NT WURTHY OF KISE-SAMA AT ALL! I CUD DO SO MUCH BETTA

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**_Re: SPOTTED! KISE-SAN HUGGING AN UNIDENTIFIED GIRL!_**  
_by Furikake on Sat, 7:56pm_

Wat would I do 2 b in dose arms...

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**_Re: SPOTTED! KISE-SAN HUGGING AN UNIDENTIFIED GIRL!_**  
_by Otohimechan on Sat, 8:30pm_

OMG, blessings to the happy couple from me in Osaka!

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**_Re: SPOTTED! KISE-SAN HUGGING AN UNIDENTIFIED GIRL!_**  
_by T0tor0 on Sat, 9:18pm_

I wonder if diz will even last...

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**_Re: SPOTTED! KISE-SAN HUGGING AN UNIDENTIFIED GIRL!_**  
_by Azushi.I on Sat, 9:50pm_

KYA! LAST LONG KISE-SAMA! SHE LOOKS LIKE A GOOD GAL!

* * *

"Oh my Gosh, did you know that Kise Ryouta, the cover boy on Zunon issue 234 is attached?"

"Really?! To who?!"

"Some girl with brown hair! His fans are trying to track her down right now. It's a storm on his fan page."

"Here! She looks like this!"

"Uwah~! They look good!"

"Hmph, I think Kise-kun looks better with the other model in that other shoot."

"Hey, Kise Ryouta has a girlfriend! Do you know?"

"I just heard about it from a friend! What makes this one so special? Didn't he have many girlfriends before this, anyway?"

"He did, according to gossip, but this is the first time that somebody has an actual picture of him and the girl!"

"He's hugging her so tightly... How lucky!"

* * *

The moment her eyes registered the screenshot that her friend had sent over the phone, Mariko dropped the bowl of fruits that she had been holding and entered an indefinite state of shock. It took a few shakes from her boyfriend, Hayashida Soichirou, to snap her out of her reverie.

_"Is he the one?"_ The message had read. _"Who would have thought that Sugiyama could snag a model!"_

Well-known, plays basketball, and of their age; it fitted Saeri's description to a tee, not that she could deny it with concrete proof in her hands right now. As much as the wealthy dancer hated and refused to believe it, it was a fact. Sugiyama had not only gotten herself a boyfriend, but a relatively famous and handsome one at that. She had heard of Kise Ryouta before, her friends being fans, but as of her knowledge, he wasn't that prolific a model yet. Nevertheless, he was also a very skilled basketball player as well, the ace of his school's team in fact, and way beyond the expected standards of Sugiyama Saeri.

In shock and anger, Mariko typed her affirmation into her phone and sent it.

* * *

**_Re: SPOTTED! KISE-SAN HUGGING AN UNIDENTIFIED GIRL!_**  
_by Yanagi.C on Sun, 12:01am_

I know the girl. She's in my school. The girl even said it herself to my friend. Apparently, it's a secret relationship and it had been on for a month or so. It's confirmed: Rakuzan High School, Year 1, Sugiyama Saeri.

* * *

**A/N: LOOKS LIKE SAERI IS IN DEEP SHIT, AHAHA! Btw, the scene where Kise grabs Saeri and hugs her to settle her down is taken directly from the K-Drama Lie To Me, which this story's plot is also loosely based on. I might be adding in some scenes from various shows here and there, because I'm not that creative to think of my own... I'll try my best to be as original as I can though! **

**First of all, is Kise OOC? I hope he isn't! And to make it clear, he isn't romantically attracted to Saeri yet. He just finds her funny... I hope I explained it well in the story...**

**And OMG! 5 reviews overnight! Thank you so much **Ninja99**, **AmaranthineImbalance**,** hokkyokukou** (again) and **anon**! :') To** hokkyokukou: No worries, no offense taken! XD And haha Hiroki is far from nerdish and round! In my mind, he's quite handsome and well-built, and a really reliable kind of guy.

**I really need more opinions on this cos the plot is taking off... So...**

**Thoughts? :)**

**P/S: I might not be able to update as fast as this cos school is starting. Update rate might take up to weeks. Might. So sorry!**


	4. Try Me Three Times

_'If you beg hard enough I might reconsider.'_

A smile graced Kise's lips as he neatly folded the scribbled napkin, having re-read it for the final time before he would be required to relinquish his hold on it to its rightful owner. Golden eyes then settled onto the hanging wall clock, noting that in fifteen minutes, it would strike nine-thirty; the time that Saeri would reach the stadium at. Although the Kaijo High Basketball Club had already assembled a quarter an hour before, the usual routine during extra practices would be for its members to change and stretch at their own pace for about forty-five minutes before assimilating with the entire group to do team warm-ups together. As such, the Ace would be allowed some time to interact with his new friend without interrupting his practise nor her schedule.

"Oi, Kise, what are you doing smiling at a piece of napkin like that?" His captain partially stepped into the changing room, stern frown set upon his thick eyebrows. "Come and help me for a bit."

"Alright!" The blonde set the paper beside his bag on the wooden bench and followed his senior out.

"You seem especially happy today."

"Oh, I do?"

About a minute after the footsteps and conversation have faded away, the room was once again occupied when a door conjoining its space to a small toilet was flung open with excessive force, and Hayakawa Mitsuhiro frantically scrambled in, pants and underwear sweeping the floor as he tried his best to move hastily without tripping. He had mistakenly drank some expired milk in the morning, and after enduring an agonising hour-long journey of churning bowels, he was finally able to relieve himself much to his great bliss. However...

"ARGH! What kind of good facirrities does this stadium have if none of its toiret cubicres have any toiret papel?!" He intensely ransacked the changing room with flaming eyes, and locked on to an innocent napkin on a wooden bench in the middle with the obstinacy of a fired missile. The paper looked incredibly dirty, but it would have to suffice (it's going to be soiled in the end, anyway...). Thus, Hayakawa grabbed it like he would a rebound and disappeared back into the restroom, slamming the door in his wake.

Kise had left and returned to the room with the same grin and cheerful aura emanating off his being, already knowing the exact words and actions to coax the girl he would be meeting into exchanging email addresses with him. He padded towards the bench, and was about to collect the important article of his interest when his smile and mood plunged deep into the depths of Hell like a sinner bearing the heaviest guilt.

The napkin-letter was gone.

"Rejection letter...?" The languid flipping of bags expedited into a hysterical overturning of the bench as Kise rummaged high and low, left and right, and basically everywhere for a sight of the inked material. A numb sensation gripped his chest as he realised that the paper was nowhere to be found._ Don't tell me it got blown away? But the windows aren't even open! Or did I actually take it outside just now? Or-_

An obnoxious flush drowned the panicked speculations in his thoughts and Hayakawa appeared with an incredibly relieved and calm expression on his usually agitated face, patting his abdomen with satisfaction. "Ah, that was good... Ah Kise! Terr captain that this prace's no good, damnnit! They don't even have toiret lorrs, ret arone a good gym!"

"Hayakawa-senpai, what are you-" the model muttered distractedly, having no time to entertain his senior when a thought flashed across his busy mind. He ceased lifting shoebags, and deliberately turned to face the puzzled Power Forward with a dawning, chilling realisation. "Senpai, don't tell me... No, it can't be..."

"Huh?" Hayakawa was undeniably shaken by the blonde's sudden fear, and he raised a hand to scratch the back of his head when he caught sight of black smudges on his fingers. "Oh, damn, what the herr! I shourdn't have used that dilty piece of papel! Kise, don't misundelstand! I sweal I washed my hands, but this weild brack ink stuff flom some papel I used wourdn't come off!"

Kise felt his soul leaving the core of his heart.

"Oi, Kise! Some girl wants to see you. She's waiting outside the stadium," Moriyama Yoshitaka entered, jerking to his back with a thumb. "A real cute one, if I have to say. She says that you have something to give her."

"What?!" The model swivelled around, urgency and panic stabbing life back into his chest. What should he do? It wasn't even his fault! In fact... He grabbed the still-befuddled Hayakawa by the wrist and proceeded to stalk out of the room with him in tow. "Senpai, you're coming with me!"

The rebound expert could only succumb to the Ace's strong grip with unsettled confusion. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Plactise is about to stalt!"

The model stepped out of the glass doors amidst curious stares, and saw a brunette girl sitting on the granite stairs with her cheeks in her hands. His footsteps alerted her of his presence, and she turned to face him expectantly, but slightly widened her eyes upon seeing another stranger.

Saeri frowned and gestured repeatedly to the blonde, her wave becoming more flustered with each motion. No way on Earth she's going to let somebody else in on her embarrassment, or derive clues from their exchange, and as such, motioned exasperatingly for the handsome guy to meet her alone. She didn't even want anybody to know that they had some odd, twisted kind of relation! Her plan was to simply collect, leave, and cut all links between them, and she wasn't going to let anything mess it up (although it did pain her considering the calibre of his beauty).

It took half a minute of repetitive wrist-flapping and pointing before Kise could finally decipher the game of charades. He gestured to his incredibly confused teammate beside and mouthed a silent_ "without him?" _for affirmation, which he received with a bout of vigorous nodding from the girl. Sighing, he told his senior to wait and jogged towards her, deciding that he will explain the situation before inviting the other male to apologise.

Hayakawa's bewilderment was compounded with his witnessing of their highly kinaesthetic exchange; although it wasn't an odd occurrence for the first-year star to be called out by and interact with girls, it was different this time in the way that they seemed to share a secret?! He hasn't seen the girl before and wondered if she was from another school, all the while watching as she dragged the blonde a couple of metres further and spoke to him in hushed tones.

_Could it be..._ His mind ran wild and he felt his body burn up a hundred degrees hotter. _His girlfriend?!_

"Oi, Hayakawa, what's going on?" He heard Kasamatsu's voice and turned to see the captain, Moriyama and Kobori Koji sauntering up. The Point Guard stopped beside him and placed his hands on his hips, surveying the scene before with the authoritative air of a leader. His eyes widened at the sight of a female. "Who's that girl?"

"I don't learry know, Captain, but she doesn't seem rike just a nolmar fan to him," the second-year Forward informed with increasing enthusiasm, his fists now balled up in front of his face. "Do you think... Do you think... Do you think that she's his gilrfliend?!"

Sense finally struck the three other males after several moments of processing his words, invigorating them to bend over and stick to a nearby pillar like metal pieces attracted to a magnet. They clambered and pushed to attain a clear view of the interaction between their junior and this unknown girl and the concrete structure barely concealed the squirming mass of their bodies.

"No wonder he was smiling so happily at that dirty napkin. Maybe it was some kind of letter between them or something!"

"What?! Oh no! I used it as toiret papel! No wondel he was so mad!"

"If you think about it, he's really treating her with much more tenderness than he does with other girls."

"Damn, that sly brat, actually advancing ahead getting a girlfriend before his seniors! I wonder which site he goes to for dating tips."

The four strained their eyes and ears to pick up further clues, and their intent backfired as her voice screeched through the morning air, alarming them out of their wits.

"WHAT?! MY CONFIDENCE AND SELF-WORTH IS ON WHOSE ASS?!"

Saeri could not believe it. She had woken up an hour earlier than she was supposed to, obsessively fretted over what to wear (he was a male worth impressing, admittedly), and missed her morning television serial for _nothing_?! No, it wasn't for nothing; it was for her to find out that her reputation and dignity were smeared up somebody's dirty rear end. Great. As such, she could do nothing else but gape at the apologetic blonde boy before, eyebrows raised and muscles slack in incredulity.

"I'm so sorry, Saecchi!" Kise slapped his palms together and bent down till his golden head was below hers (a rather significant arch considering their height difference).

"Saecchi?! What kind of name is that?! I don't even know you well, and I don't want to be called 'ecchi'!" Taken aback by the sudden term of familiarity, she narrowed her eyes and glared.

"W-Well, I call the people whom I respect with a -cchi," the model explained in an attempt of honeying his words. "So, please forgive me!"

"What the... Do I look like I want your respect?!"

"Please, Sugiyama-san! I really didn't know! You shouldn't blame me! In fact, blame my senior!"

He angled his bowed head to give himself a view of the stadium's entrance, noting the additional members and their odd stances in surprise. The eavesdroppers sweated buckets upon realising that they've been discovered, but uncontrollably leaked a shocked "Geh!" when the girl shot a glare towards them as well.

The brunette glanced back and forth from the group of strangers to the guy before her with her mouth gaping in increasing disbelief. Finally deciding that all she wanted to do right now was to head back to Hiroki's apartment and never see them again, she clenched her fists and let out an exasperated groan. "ARGHHH! You- You Golden Retriever!"

"G-Golden Retriever?!"

"Yes," she started to turn, "whatever, I've wasted enough time. I'm going off, this is goodbye for real."

Kise straightened his back, regarding the retreating girl with rising panic. From the way things were going, it would be highly unlikely that he would be able to be friends with her after all. He called out helplessly, distraught evident in his voice. "Hey! Come on! Don't leave me!"

She merely lifted a hand in a half-hearted attempt to wave her definite farewell, and the model could only watch with slumped shoulders as she disappeared round a corner. Presumably forever. There goes his best chance of having a close female buddy, despite his best efforts. Sighing, he briefly recalled Midorima's preachings about fate and destiny and dragged his feet towards the stadium for basketball practise.

Meanwhile, the seniors of Kaijo Basketball's starting members had witnessed the entire exhibition with aghast expressions, all the while formulating several speculations regarding the couple's affairs, each turning out more insane than the last, when the final (and only) audible words confirmed their suspicions.

"Did he say "don't leave me"?! Oh my God, are they breaking up?" Moriyama asked.

Kobori nodded. "They were having a quarrel after all, it might be true."

"Shh!" Kasamatsu elbowed his players upon noticing the Ace listlessly walking towards them, his current disposition a complete opposite of his usual cheery self. He stopped right before the automatic doors after wordlessly trudging past them, and informed in a flat, dejected voice, "uh, just to make it clear, she's not my girlfriend."

_Because she _was_ your girlfriend_, the other members nodded collectively, all mentally agreeing to not bring up the matter for the rest of the day, or the week, depending on the Ace's emotional recovery period. Kise blinked lifelessly, and proceeded to continue his depressed journey to the inside of the stadium, an empty atmosphere drowning his presence. The moment his blonde head had disappeared behind the doors, Kasamatsu reclined a hand and smacked it across his Power Forward's head.

"Hayakawa, what have you _done_?"

* * *

**Liar, Liar**

_**Try Me Three Times**_

* * *

Saeri was on a roll. A roll of bad luck, that is.

To pile onto her disastrous weekend, she had reached home much later than scheduled as bad traffic had delayed the bus from Kyoto station to her house, and upon setting foot onto her genkan, her very displeased mother had zeroed straight in to lecture her about the importance of money and her disapproval of the girl's spending on expensive Shinkansen rides for no apparent reason at all. In her defence, Saeri argued that she paid for the tickets using her own savings (further exemplifying the pains she took for Akashi, although her mother need not know that), only for the elder Sugiyama to reiterate the fact that those savings originated from pocket money supplied by her parents over and over again until it was way beyond her usual bedtime.

As such, Saeri woke up with a jolt at eleven-thirty the following morning; more than three hours past the start of lessons. She rushed through her morning routines of bathing and freshening up sans breakfast, and furiously texted her friends and classmates to inform them that she was on her way while running for the bus. In her haste, she temporarily forgot about her rejection and lie, and was reminded of them upon zooming past the gates of Rakuzan High. Once safely inside, the girl bent over to regain her breath and composure, mentally complaining about her dislike for rushing when she felt a presence before her.

"Sugiyama-san."

Her heart was caught in her throat and she slowly straightened her back, anticipating a look of pity or disgust from whoever it was. The brunette came face to face with a girl from a neighbouring class, who simply smiled an earnest smile with her hands clasped behind her back. "I just want to say 'congratulations' to Sugiyama-san!"

With that, the girl skipped off, leaving a very confused dancer in her wake.

_...What_, Saeri thought with rising apprehension as she navigated her way through the lunchtime crowd towards the school cafeteria where her friends would be at, _is going on?_ Ever since stepping into the school, she had been receiving congratulatory words from classmates, acquaintances, and even people she did not know, and in her confusion, she could only thank them in response for the lack of a better reply. It wasn't until somebody had said "What a good catch! I'm so jealous!" and another "He's a keeper!" that the brunette started to form links in her addled mind, and the realisation grew along with the size of her eyes.

_Oh my God, the whole school's bought my lie that I'm attached. But, to who?_ Saeri had to grip a railing to steady herself as she recalled her words and actions on Saturday. _Does that mean that Mariko had figured out that I meant Akashi-kun?_

_Then, that must mean that he knows of my lie?!_ The girl now depended her entire support on the metal bar, her heart beating fast and hard and her skin freezing up in eerie cold. This must be the end of her short stint in Rakuzan High; surely, he would dispel all rumours with his serious demeanour and everybody would believe him, thereby condemning her to the pits of Social Hell for the crime of being desperate, shameless, and above all, a pathetic lying loser. She would face relentless bullying and eventually lose all her will to live, then throw herself off the highest building on the campus and her spirit will haunt the institution forever more.

It took another word of "congratulations" from a random passer-by to snap her out of her delusion. Come to think about it, rather than giving her dirty or pitying looks, everybody, -especially the girls-, was _congratulating_ her. They were showing their _approval_ and some had even _complimented_ her. Her independence gradually seeped back in and she felt her hands leaving the railing. _Does that mean that Akashi-kun did not deny anything? Does that mean that he... accepts me?_

In a blink of an eye Saeri was leaping up stairs and bounding towards the cafeteria. She needed confirmation. She needed it _right now_. Her once withered flower of a heart was slowly blooming with life again, nurtured and restored with the power of Love. Maybe that explains her horrible weekend! One must always endure bitterness before tasting sweetness. She didn't understand why he would accept her confession after rejecting it, but it was the only plausible and most logical explanation to her recent interaction with her schoolmates (or so she forced herself to believe). By the time her slippers had reached the entrance of the large eatery, she felt as though she had spent the previous two days in a short trip to Heaven.

And casually sitting at a table on the other end, looking amazingly beautiful despite his bored expression, was the Love of her Life, Akashi Seijuro. She decided that he was probably the only high-schooler who could make a school uniform look like a style recommendation from GQ magazine.

As though sensing eyes on him, the redhead blinked and turned, facing her direction. In a smooth motion, he stood up and raised his hand in a slight wave, displaying the softest, mildest of smiles on his usually straight lips_. He was motioning to her. He was smiling to her. _To her.

The usual chatter and buzz that engulfed the cafeteria was mute to Saeri's ears, as her mind and chest were focused on the explosion of bliss that overwhelmed her entire being. This was it; her title as Mrs Akashi was no longer a pipedream. All those months of hard work, all those months of studying, dieting and painful facials did pay off after all! Her life was finally_ complete. _Unable to stop her own lips from lifting, she smiled back and her left hand floated upwards to return the wave while her right hand clutched her violently thumping chest.

As she was about to move towards him, a voice called out from behind her. "Oh, Sei-chan! Thank you so much for saving us a seat. It would take forever to find one in this crowd."

Large boulders of bodies brushed past her shoulders and dealt devastating blows to her pillars of happiness, and all her dreams came crashing down as she saw Akashi direct his line of sight from her to the three immense boys striding towards his table. The stars of Rakuzan's famous basketball team, Mibuchi Reo, Hayama Kotaro and Nebuya Eikichi.

"I think I'll go get my food first."

"Eh?! All you think about it food, you muscle gorilla!"

"Thank you."

"Now, now, boys."

His team had been standing behind her, and she didn't realise it in her ignorant bliss. He had been motioning to _them_. _Not her. _

She was absolutely_ mortified_.

_"_Saeri! Over here!"

It was extremely fortunate that a call from the other end of the eatery was able get through to her ears and provide a more favourable purpose to her life at the moment as compared to repeatedly smashing her head against the floor, and Saeri immediately scuttled towards its source while fighting the glowing blush and heat on her cheeks. That was it, she would _never_, ever, assume _anything_ regarding Akashi Seijuro again. _Ever._

_"_Anego, you look terrible!" Hanayama Daichi, a fellow first-year boy with wiry hair and small eyes, commented as Saeri dumped herself onto an empty seat and hugged her bag.

Although she got along well with her classmates, the strongest bonds that she forged so far were those from her club, or more precisely, the committee members of her club. The founding and original members of the Rakuzan Street Dance Club comprised of herself and three other friends from middle school, Chiaki being one of them along with two other boys. Slowly, the group expanded and gained a membership of fifty from the first and some second years, and out of that number, only five were recognised to be the better dancers (having a dancing background) and were thus elected to take up leadership positions as well. It was imperative that people know that the troupe did not choose its leaders based on skill; they chose them based on passion. With such a strong, common base, Saeri soon found her own clique of best friends.

The newcomer was allowed a minute to settle down before Kirishima Chiaki, an exceptional (and arguably the best) dancer with unruly light-brown hair slammed a magazine before her Vice-President and started her interrogation. "Saeri, what do you think of him?"

The brunette recognised the face on the print to be that of the blonde boy who she embarrassed herself to, and immediately snatched the papers up with deep scrutiny, mumbling the first thought that came to her mind: "they sure photo-shopped a great deal of his face."

Upon hearing and witnessing her reaction, the surrounding students slumped against their seats and sighed, "so it's true after all, only a girlfriend would know how her boyfriend's face really looks like."

"I guess so..." Saeri replied faintly, her mind still heavily distracted by her folly before Akashi. It took a moment before their words sank in. "Wait-, _what?!"_

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Chiaki cried out abruptly and grabbed the girl's hands with a schizophrenic mixture of happiness and anger. "HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT WE ARE NOT THE FIRST TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP?! NOT ONLY THAT, YOU HAD KEPT IT FROM US?!"

The brunette could only stare in wide-eyed confusion at her best friend's sudden fervour. "W-What are you talking about?!"

"OH, STOP PLAYING DUMB!" Tears were starting to form in Chiaki's green eyes. "DO YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT EVERYBODY IS STILL UNAWARE OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE RISING ZUNON MODEL STAR, KISE RYOUTA?!"

Her loud voice had successfully attracted the attention of almost the entire cafeteria, and the volume that the conversations within it operated on was significantly and notably reduced to a few murmurs. It took a whole minute for Saeri to gather her bearings from the sudden disorientating silence and the incredible news that she was _so delicately_ informed of.

"M-My relationship with..." Her dark eyes blinked thrice, mind registering the familiar name, "...Kise Ryouta...?"

* * *

Kise was feeling confused. Very, very confused.

Having committed himself to strenuous body conditioning the day before, he had woken up with particularly sore muscles and what felt like a persistent migraine, and as such, he decided to take the day off (trainings were not held on Mondays, and he admittedly was feeling quite lazy). After lounging around his empty house and aimlessly flipping through channels till afternoon, the basketball prodigy returned to his room to check his phone, and perhaps ask his classmates about the work he'd missed. Being realistic, he had expected many messages from his fans in school wishing him the best of health and a speedy recovery, but what he did not expect was to have all seventy-eight unread texts congratulating him.

_"Congrats, Kise-kun!"_

_"OMG, congratulations! :)"_

_"Wow, bro, 'gratz man!"_

_Congratulations?!_ The blonde scrolled through his inbox for a clue as to _why_ he was being congratulated. Did he win something? Did he top the cohort for something? Did the basketball team achieve something? As far as he could remember, he had not participated in any contests nor taken any tests, and Kasamatsu did not inform him about anything note-worthy. So why-

_"Congratulations, Kise-kun! I hope that you 2 last long!"_

_"I dont rly noe the gal, but I hope shes a nice gal. Cngratz!"_

_"I cant help but feel jealous, but as long as Kise-sama is happy, Im happy! XD"_

_"I hope that your new girlfriend treats you well! When are you introducing her to us?"_

Kise blinked forcefully, vigorously shook his golden head, and blinked once again as he re-read the earlier messages, his eyes growing bigger with every scroll. _A-A girlfriend? Since when did I get one?! _He thought long and hard about his recent interactions with members of the opposite gender; as far as he could remember, he has been politely declining every confession he has received, his primary interests and priorities lying in a certain sport instead. Did one of them misunderstand his words or something?

The basketball star was at a huge loss for actions and words. How could he possibly dispel this rumour without hurting the poor girl's feelings? As much as he hated being unable to reciprocate the feelings of his fans and eventually causing them heartbreak, he really did not want to stand for something that was simply untrue. He had no choice, he would have to be the villain. But firstly, who was this person spreading false stories about him?! There was only one person he could count on.

_"Kasamatsu-senpai, are there any weird rumours about me going around school?"_

It took ten whole minutes for his highly anticipated reply, which came in the form of a call.

_"Don't worry, Kise,"_ his captain's voice was levelled. Far too levelled. "_It turns out that your relationship was actually an open secret speculation, and Hayakawa accidentally confirmed it when he came to look for you at your class this morning..._

**...**

**Three Hours Earlier**

"KISEEEEEEE!" Kaijo's rebounding expert came charging down the hallways of the first-year classrooms, his disposition hotter and more intense than usual. He spotted his desired marking and skidded to a halt, sliding the room's door so forcibly that it risked shattering its glass. "PREASE FORGIVE YOUL SENPAI, I DIDN'T MEAN TO DESTLOY YOUL ROVE RETTEL AND CAUSE YOU AND YOUL GILRFLIEND TO BLEAK UP! PREASE, I'RR EVEN APOROGISE TO HEL FOL YOU! PREASE PATCH THINGS UP, I DON'T WANT TO FEER GUIRTY ANYMOLE! YOU ROOKED SO SAD YESTELDAY DULING PLACTISE! OI, KISE, SAY SOMETHIIIING!"

When he finally opened his clenched eyes, he saw that the familiar blonde head was nowhere to be seen. "Kise...?"

"Kise-kun called in sick today," a girl informed timidly after recovering from the shock.

The Power Forward slowly blinked in surprise, feeling very stupid when suddenly, a flock of girls (including those wandering around the corridor) attacked him like a pride of lionesses would to a lone buffalo, all exclaiming, inquiring, interrogating in excited, shrill voices.

"OH MY GOD! SO IT _IS_ TRUE!"

"I THOUGHT THAT KISE-SAMA WASN'T INTERESTED IN GETTING INTO A RELATIONSHIP AT THE MOMENT!"

"PLEASE, TELL US MORE, HAYAKAWA-SENPAI!"

"THIS IS TOO SUDDEN! SHE ISN'T EVEN FROM THE SAME REGION!"

"JUST HOW DID THEY MEET?!"

"I HEARD THAT THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS TOP SECRET!"

"PLEASE ENLIGHTEN US, SENPAI!"

It was the first time that Hayakawa had received such overwhelming female attention, and he could not say that he liked it.

**...**

_...so it's okay now, you don't have to hide it anymore. Just talk things out slowly with her."_ The tranquillity in Kasamatsu's tone was feeling more and more forced by the second._ "I still can't believe it though, getting a girlfriend without your seniors and not telling us. Whatever happened to camaraderie? You better seek our approval on her. If she's restricting you in basketball, don't expect us to let it slide, no matter how cute she may be."_

His jaw could very well be permanently dislodged from his head. The blonde model managed to speak after two minutes of silent bafflement. "...T-This girlfriend of mine... You know who it is?"

_"What, of course. It's that girl who looked for you yesterday, right? According to your fan page, -mind you, I got it from my female classmates-, her name is Sugiyama Saeri? Like I said, Kise, you don't have to hide it anymore. I'm sure that your agency will understand."_

Kise could feel his headache returning, the pain increasing tenfold.

* * *

"M-My relationship with..." Her dark eyes blinked thrice, mind registering the familiar name, "...Kise Ryouta...?"

"Oh my God, what a good actress!" Minagawa Keiko, the second-year club Secretary, pointed at her friend's dumbfounded expression. "It's okay, Sae-chan! Everybody knows now."

Saeri turned dazedly to a tug on her left sleeve, facing Maruyama Masahito, the effeminate first-year Welfare Charge, "yes, anego! We all understand why you have to keep it a secret."

"It's because his agency manager disapproved of her models having relationships, right?" His twin brother and Physical Training Charge, Maruyama Akihito filled the rest in. "Since it might involve scandals and jeopardize his reputation and popularity."

Kawakami Sachiko the first-year Logistics Charge nodded. "Everybody knows about it already, so it's safe to be open about it! A nice girl like anego won't drag him into any scandals, I'm sure!"

This was too much for Saeri to process. She wasn't sure if her heart could take it any longer.

Murmurs and whispers broke out in waves throughout the cafeteria, and the brunette was becoming excruciatingly aware and conscious about the stares that her table was receiving. Why, when, how did she end up becoming the girlfriend of some model she barely knew?! She had never seen nor heard the four characters of 'Ki Se Ryou Ta' in her life up till the day before yesterday, and now she's being told that he's some model?! She briefly glanced at the magazine that was stuck in her frozen grip: Zunon Boy; she had not actually read an issue before, preferring other titles for more masculine men and juicier gossip, and that was perhaps why she was so ignorant about his existence until now. But that wasn't the main problem at the moment...

Saeri licked her dry lips and slowly scanned the area. Apart from her friends, there were two very important faces giving her their rapt attention right now: one was Shijima Mariko, looking detestably expectant as though she was waiting for her to declare the falsity of her relationship status, and on the other end of the spectrum (and eatery) was Akashi Seijuro, his sharp, piercing gaze regarding her in a mildly curious manner.

The pressure on her was unbelievable, a thousand times heavier than that during a dance competition. She could not fathom the consequences of telling the truth, and neither did she want to lie to her friends. But then again, how could she possibly own up to her lie in front of such a huge mass? She had already passed the point of no return, and the brunette knew that Hell had a special place for people like her. As such, she shakily rose to her feet to address the anticipating crowd.

"I-I guess there's no point hiding it a-anymore," Saeri declared in a volume barely different from the norm, "I _am_ dating Kise Ryouta."

It was then the school bell rang, signalling the end of lunch break.

* * *

**A/N: PHEW FINALLY DONE! Firstly, I really hope that I'm getting all canon characters in character (omg repetition). Please do tell me if I've portrayed them out of line because I detest OOCness. (and typing Hayakawa's dialogue was really confusing HAHA! I hope everyone understands what he's trying to say). Secondly, I know that I've introduced quite a number of Saeri's friends here and explained a little of her club's background, so I hope it isn't anything too confusing or vague (it will definitely be expanded in later chapters). And thirdly, I've changed it to a KiseOCAkashi pairing because I plan to have Akashi playing a bigger role (TOTALLY HELPS THAT HE'S HOT LOL). But it will be predominantly KiseOC (not spoiling anything, I swear), so I hope it's alright with you guys!**

**About how everybody, including close friends (especially on Kise's side), totally buys Saeri's story, I hope that I've explained and constructed it in a way that is plausible does not seem unbelievable... Loopholes will be explained in the following chapter!**

**And to clarify: when Kise keeps wanting to exchange email addresses, he means to exchange numbers. In Japan, it's kinda like the equivalent of texting because its cheaper (or free?) to send emails. He's not outdated if you're wondering XD **

**And a huge thank you to **AmarathineImbalance**,** hokkyokukou**,** Ninja99**, **SnowstormX**, **Anya Ishikawa** and **Guest** for the reviews! :') And of course, to those who favourited, followed, and read as well. Haha I like Hiroki as a character too! If he proves popular enough, I will definitely include his own mini subplot in this story as well! :)**

**My mind is mush... I really hope to update ASAP! As such, please leave your...**

**Thoughts? :)**


	5. Four's a Dud

"Alright, we've sent the non-committee members off for their own warm-ups and we're alone right now. Speak."

Saeri was fortunate enough to escape the cafeteria while everybody else was momentarily stunned silent, the explosion of exclamations, gossips and heartbreaks detonating only after she was a good few metres away. However, she was harassed the rest of the day with questions after questions, her phone buzzing non-stop and her desk filled with illegal scribbled notes during lessons, none of which she replied. She managed to evade face-to-face confrontations with apologetic smiles and requests to answer an urgent need to head towards the toilet, where she hid in for majority of the breaks in between lessons.

The end of the school day, unfortunately, did not mean the end of her predicament, and Saeri never thought that she would dread attending her beloved dance practise.

They did not even permit her the chance to change into her training gear, all surrounding her like a pack of wolves with catechizing glares the moment she slid the door open.

"You," Chiaki snarled as she stabbed a finger into her chest, "have _lots_ of explanation to do."

"Umm, s-so... W-What do you g-guys want t-to know?" The overnight sensation made a feeble attempt to smile, her voice meek and trembling. She tried her best to suppress a gasp for fresh air when the troupe stepped back.

"EVERYTHING!" Her leader flung her hands up into the air, curly brown hair flying around to accentuate her crazed expression. "WHEN? HOW? WHY? WHERE? I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE THAT SHIJIMA KNEW ABOUT THIS BEFORE US! HOW COULD YOU, SUGIYAMA SAERI?!"

"Boss! Please control yourself!" Masahito pleaded with clasped hands as his muscled brother restrained the kicking girl by her arms, having successfully intercepted a fatal lunge at the petrified brunette. "You'll kill anego!"

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I WILL!" The raging female roared as she struggled against her Physical Trainer's strong grip. "THIS IS SO SUDDEN! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO CONTROL MYSELF?!"

"Calm down, Chiaki!" Bitou Ryousuke, the tall and handsome Public Relations Charge, coaxed as he stood beside her. "But she is right, Saeri. What's going on? Weren't you absolutely in love with Akashi Seijuro? What's with this change of heart?"

"I-I-I..." the girl stammered and stared wide-eyed at her dance partner. "A-Akashi-kun..."

"Yeah!" Kawasaki Rikiya, the club's Treasurer and best male dancer nodded in agreement. "You were crazy over him! Didn't you confess to him last Friday too?!"

Keiko approached her with worry. "Sae-chan, did something happen?"

"That cold jerk didn't do anything, did he?!" Daichi clenched fists.

"What happened?"

"YOU BETTER ANSWER US, SAERI!"

"Anego! We are really confused!"

"Boss, stop struggling!"

"SAERIIIII!"

"Sae-chan...!"

"Anego!"

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" Saeri screamed, unable to tolerate the endless noise that pained her ears and befuddled her mind. The rest of the group froze at her sudden outburst, now donning the same fearful expression she'd just wore, and watched as the girl inhaled and exhaled deeply to calm herself down. Upon achieving the highest possible state of zen she could at the moment and overcoming her temporary anger, Saeri regarded the startled faces of her friends and felt the previous apprehension flowing back it. _It's alright_, she mentally prepped herself, _I can do this._

The brunette had given thorough and comprehensive thought to the decision that she made, having contemplated it the entire day. As their friend, she could not deceive them so selfishly and heartlessly, especially not Chiaki, Ryousuke and Rikiya, all of whom have danced and been through thick and thin of middle school with her. It would be immoral and devastating to their friendship should they discover the truth by themselves, and Saeri suffered heartbreak even at the mere thought of losing them; it was simply not worth losing the best bunch of friends over something as frivolous as pride and reputation. Likewise, she had utter confidence in the understanding and acceptance of her mates to not think any less of her, and even support her decision to lie, no matter how disgruntled they may be. With steely determination, the girl parted her lips.

"G-Guys, the truth is," Saeri hesitated, sweat trickling down her temple. Why was she hesitating?! "The truth is that my feelings towards Akashi Seijuro have been a cover for my relationship with Kise Ryouta."

_H-Hold on a second right theeeere! What, what, what... WHAT AM I SAYING?!_ Her own pair of eyes felt wider and bigger than the combination of her group's, her body was as frigid and cold as the iceberg that sunk the Titanic, and her mind was spinning around like the wheels of a leading race car. The only organ of her entire being that operated smoothly was her tongue. "W-Well, I mean, I _was_ head-over-heels in love with Akashi-kun at the start, but I realised that he would never return my feelings, and I was really depressed during my family's trip to Tokyo last month."

Her rationality and conscience could only watch and listen in helpless horror as she continued her story. "Then one night as I was s-sitting in the park nearby Hiroki's place alone, I met Ki- I mean, Ryouta-kun. He comforted me and we e-exchanged email addresses and have been talking ever since, and we decided to enter into a l-long distance relationship."

The committee members of Rakuzan's Street Dance Club were completely engrossed, concentrating on her tale with rapt attention and slack jaws. Saeri wondered if they actually believed her, because she herself could not believe the rubbish that she was spouting. "Although we could only communicate through texts and webcam sessions, it really felt as though we were right next to each other whenever we talk, and before we knew it, we got serious. It was as if Akashi-kun never happened in my life."

The storyteller was amazingly, incredulously, reluctantly becoming more comfortable with her speech. It was as though her body functioned on a self-defence mechanism to save her from the humiliation known as The Truth, and her mind flashed back to lunch to recall details of the allegories that supported her lie, and she realised with a jolt that she was not only hiding the shame of revealing her deception, but also of Akashi's rejection.

In a display of false sincerity, she placed a shivering hand on her thumping chest. "I'm really, really, really sorry for keeping you all in the dark. R-Ryouta said that his agency manager made it very, very clear that he was under no circumstance to be involved in a relationship, as his popularity was at a crucial point and he couldn't afford any sort of scandals. As such, I really had no choice but to keep it highly confidential as well... Guys, I'm the worst sort of friend there is, and I'm so sorry..."

"S-Saeri..." Chiaki was close to tears, her bottom lip sticking out and trembling.

"And because we arranged to meet in Tokyo on Friday so that we could spend three days together, I used a confession to Akashi-kun as a disguise to mask my true intention of going to the capital alone, because there was no other plausible reason as to why I would head there on a Friday without my family. I'm so sorry for deceiving you guys. Please understand and forgive me." Well, at least there_ was_ a tiny ounce of truth in her words...

It took a good couple of minutes for her audience to comprehend her words and determine their emotions, and without warning, Saeri was engulfed in a hysterical wave of hugs by her sobbing friends (except for the stoic Ryousuke, who merely extended his long arm to pat her back with a sympathetic frown).

"SAERI, WE DIDN'T KNOOOOW!"

"It must have been so hard on you to keep such a secret, anego!"

"HOW COULD WE NOT SENSE YOUR TROUBLE?!"

"WE ARE SO SORRY, ANEGO!"

"Sae-chan, we understand now! We understand now!"

"ANEGO, YOU'RE A GOOD GIRLFRIEND!"

"SAEEEEEEE!"

"S-sorry, Saeri."

The brunette could not decide which outweighed the other; the extraordinary, incredible relief that washed and shined upon the success of her lie, or the colossal, oppressing guilt that threatened to drag her heart all the way down to her stomach. She watched in uncertainty as her friends continued to splutter and grope her dramatically until the dance room door slid open and the other members stepped in with flummoxed stares.

Hell definitely had a special place reserved for her.

"O-Okay you guys!" Chiaki abruptly assumed her role as though nothing had went on (though she was evidently a little shaken), and loudly clapped her hands to draw attention. "I hope you all remember that we're going to Tokyo this weekend test out the dimensions and dynamics of the location that the Interhigh Winter Dance Competition will be held at! Life's gonna get really tough from now on, so DEAL WITH IT!"

Upon hearing the news, whatever emotions that were contesting in Saeri's heart were promptly dominated by the darkest and coldest fear in the form of violently fast beating which jeopardized her life with cardiac arrest. In the flurry of recent developments, the brunette had totally and completely wiped out the recon date from her mind. She knew that she would have to return to Tokyo sometime, but she prayed and hoped for that to be after everything has calmed._ Then that means..._

"Oh! Then that means that we can finally meet the Big Star!" Chiaki turned to grin at her dumbfounded friend. "You better not hide him this time!"

Saeri nearly collapsed.

* * *

**Liar, Liar**

_**Four's a Dud**_

* * *

Unbeknownst to Saeri and her clique, there had been a secret tenth listener who had hidden herself outside the chamber.

Yanagi Chikako, Mariko's right hand woman and one of the most promising ballet dancers, clasped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from squealing at the piece of information she'd just overheard, her green eyes wide with twisted glee. Her President would absolutely_ love_ to know about this. She quietly skipped off before anybody could discover her presence, and darted across corridors to the classroom that Mariko would be at.

Despite Rakuzan High's prestige and all-roundedness, space was inadvertently a limited feature, and thus it could not support the feasibility of two expansive dance chambers equipped with mirror-covered walls and an abundant dressing room. As such, the institution's two dance clubs had no choice but to alternate their use of the facility, which further antagonized their already strained relationship.

Chikako had been minding her own business en route to the dance room to retrieve a belonging she left behind from the previous practise, until a question that unmistakably came from the loud-mouthed Kirishima Chiaki peaked her curiosity to mind somebody else's. Thinking quickly on reflex, the petite blonde surreptitiously pressed her back against the adjoining wall and her ear to the gap between the door and its frame, listening with great intent as the Street Dance's Vice President launched her anecdote about using the basketball captain's name to conceal her actual affair.

In less than ten minutes, the information had been packaged and processed by Shijima Mariko, inducing the craftiest of smirks on her lips.

The wealthy brunette's day had been utterly ruined as she spent the whole of it sulking over the undeniable fact that Saeri's relationship status had been confirmed and accepted by the majority, discombobulated as to how her eternal rival had managed to reverse the Laws of the Universe that she believed to naturally work against her. How was this possible? Sugiyama Saeri was supposed to be condemned to a life void of romantic involvement! She was supposed to grow old with nine cats and no children, much like her moonlighting dance coach! It was simply abnormal for her to have a boyfriend, let alone one as esteemed as Kise Ryouta! It was ridiculous. It was blasphemous!

Salvation for her tortured mind and mood came when her best friend Chikako skidded to a halt in front of her with the best exploitable intel. She might not have been able to prevent Sugiyama's preposterous happiness from occurring, but she could definitely dampen and ruin it. Following that, Mariko's slim figure was seen gliding down hallways and stairs towards the school gymnasium, where she knew a certain redhead would be at.

Akashi Seijuro was one in a million of millions. He was the perfect combination of looks, smarts, riches and power, and possessed the rare ability to effortlessly acquire the unquestionable and unwavering allegiance, obedience and respect of even the haughtiest of seniors, male and female alike. For Heaven's sake, he became the Student Council President in his _first_ year! With such a limitless reservoir of excellence, Mariko could not deny her respect for him, although she could not say the same for her feelings.

Upon catching wind of such an outstanding individual within her first month in Rakuzan High, the wealthy heiress to a hotel chain made it a year-end target to attract the heterochromatic prodigy. On the day Mariko commenced her attack, she armed herself with perfectly curled tresses, the prettiest make up and the shortest skirt, and proceeded to infiltrate the basketball team's practise. She mistakenly believed her strategy to be flawless; she would run across the court during a game under the pretence of taking the shortest route to the other end of the hall, and somehow collide into the redhead and unleash her womanly wiles on him. Just as she was about to enter the field, Akashi was required to shoot from her position, and completely obsessed with defeating his senior at that moment, told her off with the coldest and most depreciating of glares.

"Get out of my way."

At that point, Mariko knew that Akashi Seijuro was untouchable, and her primal instincts warned to stay away from a being as frighteningly enigmatic as him. However, she did not know that Sugiyama Saeri had coincidentally strolled past the hall at the same time, and thus witnessed the entire exchange which triggered in her fervent admiration and eventual love for the soon-to-be basketball captain.

Back to the present, Mariko could not believe that she did not pick up on her rival's affections earlier. Although she knew that Saeri had some issues in her thinking, she did not know that she was crazy enough to actually like the Akashi heir. Despite his amazing reputation and the widespread admiration for him, there were few girls who would genuinely wish to date him, given his notoriously intimidating disposition. No wonder Saeri worked so hard to top the cohort (a feat usually accomplished by Akashi); she wanted to impress him.

Deciding to focus on the matter at hand, the heiress requested for the attention of the basketball captain in the most courteous manner, and got it amidst inquisitive looks from his team. Once alone, she felt an unprecedented blow to her perpetually elevated confidence when she gawked up into his belittling mismatched eyes.

"Is there an issue of my concern?" He asked.

"Y-Yes." She needed a minute to recover her courage, and another to convey her knowledge to him.

She had expected a flash of disconcertment, or even anger, to dent his acutely sharp gaze that penetrated her soul, believing that he would not have stood for being manipulated. As such, her self-esteem and justification for existing was once again heavily questioned when he remained unyieldingly emotionless.

"Are you done prattling?" He had queried in extreme monotone, and proceeded to return to his team in the hall as though he had simply wasted time listening to a kindergarten brat. "How frivolous."

With that, the self-assured, witty and beautiful President of Rakuzan's renowned Classical Dance Club was left standing in an empty corridor, feeling overwhelmingly and immensely stupid like the biggest idiot on the face of Earth.

* * *

Her palms has never felt so sweaty, and neither did they grip her bag with that much force before.

Saeri looked a picture of calm and cool as she sat facing the window of the moving bus, seemingly appreciating the passing landscape with little concern. However, deep inside, she was furiously and insanely calculating and venturing all probabilities and possibilities of running into Kise Ryouta at her headed destination. She had spent the past week investigating the model's background with the fervour of a mentally unwell stalker consumed by legitimate obsessive tendencies, scanning and stripping down all of his fan pages for every single databyte of information.

Her hard work had paid off, as she had delved into the roots and origins of the rumour, which answered every single question she had. By the time Saeri boarded the bus for Tokyo with her dance troupe, she believed that she was fully capable of producing a Masters'-worthy thesis on the topic of Kise Ryouta, if there was even one to begin with. Apparently, he's a first year at Kaijo High School in Kanagawa (this gave her hope that they would not meet after all), and a really good basketball player, so much that he was known to be part of some prodigious group called the Generation of Miracles back in middle school which she could not bother to research more about (she let out an unrestrained "AH-HA-HA" at that; were they Gods or something? Why don't dancers have some sort of dramatic moniker like that too, then?).

Despite her extensive knowledge about the blonde model (which honestly did not lessen her chances of running into him at all), Saeri was still incredibly unsure of how he would react if they met. According to online sources and Zunon Boy, he was an incredibly cheerful, friendly and nice kind of guy, so she might not have to suffer at his hands_ that_ much. She hoped. She prayed. Nonetheless, no matter how lovable a person he may be, she desperately wished that they do not have to see each other ever again.

Regarding her ultimate lie, the brunette decided that she would simply leave it alone as much as she could until it died down, and after a couple of months or so, she would very quietly let out that they had broken up over something (she had in mind the stress on a long-distance relationship). Many, many, many people (especially girls), have approached her with the intention of knowing every single detail about their 'relationship', and she had been satisfying them by disclosing minimal (false) anecdotes. Nasty fangirls aside (the worst of which only went as far as to say rude things to her, fortunately), Saeri was ashamed that she actually enjoyed the attention she was getting. While she was moderately prolific in Rakuzan for her dancing skills and looks, her lie had positioned her to the level of a Goddess, where fellow first year girls would stare admiringly at her and the seniors would show their acknowledgement with smiles and nods.

"Anego!" Sachiko popped up from the seat behind with besotted eyes. "Tell us the story about how you met Kise-san again!"

"W-What?" Saeri blinked up at the smiling head above hers. "Didn't I tell you all about it already?"

"You did, but it's so..." Keiko sighed dreamily from the seat across. "We want to hear it again!"

Rikiya slid into the empty space beside in a smooth, flashy move. "Yeah, plus we are pretty bored right now. I mean, we have been sleeping the past five hours! And there's _still_ an hour before the bus reaches the convention centre."

"We could do with a little entertainment, anego!" The twins chorused.

Chiaki appeared before her out of nowhere with clenched fists and sparkling eyes. "TELL US AGAIN, SAERI!"

The group's Vice-President could only nod at their forceful request. Even Ryousuke was staring expectantly at her. As such, she sighed helplessly and mentally asked God for forgiveness before starting her story.

"It was the night when I came to accept that Akashi-kun will never return my feelings..."

**...**

_With her hair falling loose and her body slouched upon a wooden bench in the middle of a park beside Hiroki's apartment complex, Saeri bore little difference to a drama serial's lead actress portraying her character's heartbroken soliloquy. Especially with her glassy eyes that seemed to expel tears not unlike falling crystals. It also helped that she had been feebly asking questions laced with self-reflecting meaning to nobody apart from her lonesome self._

_"W-Why, why, why won't Akashi-kun look at me the way I want him to?" Her light, gentle voice bore cracks like flawed porcelain. "Is there something wrong with me? Am I not pretty, nor smart, nor accomplished enough for him?"_

_She was agonisingly aware of her solitude in the park, compounded by the endless darkness that enveloped her surroundings._

_"Why am I so imperfect? Somebody tell me," she clutched at her aching chest and the precious liquid from her dark orbs rained harder down her fair cheeks, "because it h-hurts so much to not know the reason why."_

_"_You_," a voice growled as though it had been searching for her all the while, "are not imperfect."_

_"E-Eh?" Saeri blinked up with startled eyes to see a tall, young man with the silkiest-looking golden hair and the most beautiful pair golden eyes standing before her. She was temporarily stunned by his beauty, but recovered soon enough. "D-Do I know you?"_

_"Well, no." He frowned, then smiled cheekily. "Not yet, at least."_

_Saeri hiccupped and watched in confusion and surprise as the stranger took the seat beside, his mesmerizing eyes never leaving hers._

_"From what I gathered: you're in love with a guy who doesn't love you back." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. "Tch, what a stupid guy. It sounds to me like he's the world's biggest, greatest, jerkiest jerk."_

_"H-He isn't that! He isn't that at all!" Saeri cried, firmly defending her beloved. "Please don't call him that."_

_"Oh?" The blonde male quirked an eyebrow challengingly. "Then tell me about the kind of shit he does, and I'll decide for myself."_

_"I-I..." She didn't know what came over her, but the girl felt as though she could trust this handsome stranger with anything, even her life. She was also in great need for some company that she could vent her grievances to as well, and thus, Saeri began a story dating back to her kindergarten days, when she was stuck under a slide because her friends caught the flu._

_"So let me get this straight: you guys were in the same kindergarten, in the same high school, have affiliated fathers through work, bumped into each other in school a few times."_

_The sniffling girl nodded, and the blonde male sighed. "Then of course you would think that you two were meant to be. Anybody would. Well, except for that dumb jerk."_

_Saeri burst into a new wave of tears upon hearing his last two words. She raised her hands to wipe at her eyes, all the while sobbing. "He's n-not a dumb jerk! I am the dumb one! I-I'm just no good for him, he has every right to reject such a lowly person as myself! I'm just not perfect! I'll n-never be perfect!"_

_She ceased for a moment to gather her thoughts. "D-Do you think, if I beg hard enough, h-he might reconsider?"_

_A firm grip on her shoulders came so suddenly that the girl could not hold back an "EEEK!", and when her mind and vision cleared, saw a pair of yellow eyes looking intently into hers, and she was acutely aware of the close distance between her face and the stranger's._

_"Listen up, girl," he spoke softly, but firmly. "You are not imperfect. You are pretty, smart, fun and awesome, and you have a great body and an even better face and the best personality, I'm sure. You are _perfect_. He's just the imperfect person for you, and one day, he's gonna regret not noticing you."_

_Saeri could see her own wide-eyed expression in the reflection of his eyes. Hiccupping once more, she asked, "t-then, who is the perfect person for me?"_

_With an abrupt motion and a heartbreakingly charming smirk, the blonde stranger pulled the frozen girl in and their lips met. Saeri could only blink in shock as she felt the warm, moist skin on her own, and before she could even react, he gently pushed her away, surveying her pink cheeks and gaping mouth._

_"I'm Kise Ryouta," she watched in further bewilderment as her phone materialized in his hand, and he keyed in a something she could not see. "Spend the next day with me. I promise you that we'll have fun."_

_And as suddenly and mysteriously as he had appeared, he did the opposite, leaving no trace of his presence except for the burning sensation on her lips, which she lifted a hand to touch, her dark orbs as wide as saucers._

_"SAERI!" She heard a familiar voice and turned to see Hiroki jogging towards her with the worry and tenderness of a parent bear. He wrapped vine-like arms around his little sister and pulled her into a firm hug. "I was out wondering where you went when I heard a yelp coming from this side, and I knew that it had to be you. Are you hurt? Did anybody do anything to you? What happened?"_

_"N-Nii-chan..." Saeri looked into his concerned eyes, and then at the newly added contact in her phone on her hand._

Kise Ryouta.

_"No," she smiled, "I just met a friend just now."_

**...**

"KYAAAAAA!" Chiaki squealed in an explosion of girlish hormones. "THAT WAS SO ROMANTIC!"

Sachiko and Keiko nodded fervently in complete agreement, blushes dusting their cheeks in accompaniment to their fawning. "He sounds so charming!"

"He _does_ seem like a very good catch," Masahito tapped his small chin, an approving smile above it.

"Oh, really now..." The remaining males however, were not as impressed.

Rikiya huffed through his nose. "Sounds more like a player to me."

(He promptly earned himself a whipping smack across his head, courtesy of Chiaki. "LIKE YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!")

"Jeez, can his words get any cornier?" Daichi gave a disgusted grimace, which Akihito did as well.

Ryousuke sighed. "...I agree..."

In response to their varying reactions, Saeri smiled uneasily, a wave of nausea inciting prickling goose bumps at the fantasy she concocted. It certainly wasn't _that_ cheesy when she first told it. "W-Well... I_ may_ have exaggerated a_ little_ bit... _Just_ a little bit..."

"Does he know you're coming to Tokyo?" The concave-bobbed Secretary asked, eyes lit with blatant excitement. "Oh! Do arrange a meeting!"

"Yes, yes!" One would have thought that Sachiko's neck would snap with the amount of nodding she did. "I really want to take a picture with him, my classmates are fans!"

"TAKE OUT YOUR PHONE AND SEND HIM A TEXT RIGHT NOW!" The curly haired President exercised her authority, complete with a meretricious finger pointed between her Vice-President's surprised eyes. "RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW!"

"Jesus Christ, SHUT UP! I'M TRYING TO GET SOME REST HERE!"

The group whipped their heads so quickly that it hurt even their well-oiled neck ligaments, facing the front of the moving bus which held sympathetic stares from the other accompanying members and the wrath of an incredibly busty woman in her early thirties (who was _still_ single, much to her great chagrin), her face bearing a demonic snarl. Fujitani Kiyoko, a music teacher in Rakuzan who also served as their dance supervisor and instructor, took deliberate and weight-laden steps towards the shivering group, who regarded her the way they would a psychotic murderer.

"Now, who do you think has spent the entire night going through administrative matters just so that you brats could be in this bus without a care in the world?" Her tenor voice was reaching a dangerous baritone. "_Huh?"_

The students gulped collectively. "O-Our hard-working coach?"

She made her last two steps, her lean frame dangerously within hitting range. "And so you reward your hard-working coach by depriving her of sleep with your prepubescent voices?"

"C-come on, s-s-sensei... Don't frown so scarily, it ruins your pretty face," Rikiya attempted his famous grin, known for melting the hearts of his fellow female schoolmates with its impish charm, "how would you expect to catch a guy's attention like that? S-smile and show off your ravishing beauty!"

"Hmm? Like that?" Fujitani reversed the arch on her lips and brows, and without warning, the troupe's best male dancer was convulsing on the jerking bus floor with a forming lump on the back of his head, much to the grief, despair and pity of his dance mates.

"RIKI!"

"Look, I honestly don't care about your love life, Sugiyama," the towering teacher shot an irritated glare to her Vice-President (who withdrew her silent gratitude for the teacher's interruption and unwitting save), the throbbing veins in her temple becoming more pronounced by the second, "but there really isn't a need to make such a big deal about having a boyfriend. Is having a boyfriend very impressive? Is it something to be proud of, huh? SO I BET THAT YOU'RE FEELING PRETTY AWESOME HAVING A BOYFRIEND NOW, HUH? ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY THAT YOU'RE GREATER THAN YOUR SENSEI, HUH?!"

She wasn't supplied with a verbal answer, just a massive amount of trembling and tearing eyes.

"If I hear even a _decibel_ of any of your voices for the remainder of the ride..." her volume dropped to hazardously low levels again and she smiled pointedly to Chiaki, who was covering her mouth in fear, "hmm... You'll see..."

By the time the bus had entered the city, its resident driver nearly forgot that he had passengers in his vehicle.

* * *

Momoi Satsuki was on cloud nine. How could she not be, especially when she was currently walking side-by-side with the ultimate object of her affections, Kuroko Tetsuya? A glowing blush constantly threatened to consume her entire face and render it the same colour as her hair while she tottered blissfully on the Tokyo street towards a yakiniku restaurant, severely aware of the occasional brushing between their arms. Could she consider this a date? Well, it did seem like a date. She concluded with a silent gasp and a fluttering of her stomach that it_ was _a date between them.

...and her childhood friend, Aomine Daiki.

And Tetsu-kun's friend, Kagami Taiga.

And Kise Ryouta.

_And_ Midorima Shintaro.

...Maybe she shouldn't have called all of them out as well (technically, Kuroko invited Kagami, and she could only accede)...

"It's rare that you agreed to come," the burly tanned-skin Ace of Toou High commented offhandedly to his bespectacled middle school teammate.

"Don't get me wrong," the emerald-haired shooter corrected, pushing his eyewear up with taped fingers, "it just so happened that my lucky item of the day is a loyalty card from the restaurant that we're going to. I would really rather be wasting my time on something else than spend it with you."

"N-Now, now," Satsuki motioned her hands to dissipate the tension, an uncertain smile on her lips, "everybody hardly gets to be together like this, let's make it an enjoyable outing!"

"It's an all-you-can-eat buffet, right?" The returner from America asked, to which he received a smiling nod in reply from the pretty girl.

Meanwhile, Kuroko had been quietly observing a certain blonde. "Kise-kun, you don't seem like yourself today."

The model looked up and blinked at his friend. "Eh? Kurokocchi noticed?"

"Of course. You haven't attempted to make a move on me at all."

"Don't put it that way!" Kise cried, then slumped his shoulders with a sigh. "But it's true that I've got a lot on my mind recently."

"Girlfriend problems?" Kagami filled in, regarding his blonde rival, "I heard from Koganei that you've gotten yourself one from somewhere far or something. You better not let it affect your basketball, I tell you."

"Huh?! Ki-chan has a girlfriend?" The sole female in the group turned to her friend in shock, pink eyes wide. "Since when?!"

Kise sighed for the second time under a minute. He had been so tired of denying the relentless questions that came from his friends, fans, classmates (even teachers), colleagues (his manager had chided him for making her sound like a tyrannical dictator although she had issued no warning of the like before) to the point of exhaustion, where he decided to simply keep quiet instead, seeing how everybody chose to believe a picture over his words. Everyone somehow assumed that he was vehemently dismissing the rumour in order to protect the girl, who, according to recent rumours surfacing from the South: 'was his first ever serious relationship', and thus received protection from vengeful fangirls in the form of his denials. Only God knows if it worked or not.

However, above all the fatigue, confusion and malignment he had suffered the past week, Kise felt cheated. He felt _betrayed_. Just when he thought that he had met a girl who proved immune enough to his external beauty and potentially see him as neither the 'rising Zunon star', nor the 'copy prodigy from the Generation of Miracles', but just _Kise Ryouta_, she turned the tables and revealed her true, manipulative nature instead. No wonder she refused to exchange email addresses; she wanted the status of being a model's girlfriend without the hassle of actually dating him and the consequence of him clarifying the truth. She was a shrew, and Kise fell for her trap. _But she seemed so genuine_, the blonde lamented,_ was everything, from her drunken introduction to her tragically ridiculous love story, all just a ruse to achieve her underlying agenda?_

If so, she must possess insight comparable to even Akashicchi's.

"I must say that it's odd for you to not have a stupid smile on your face." Midorima stated rather tactlessly, which Kise did not feel like retorting at the moment.

The group continued their journey for several more minutes before reaching their destination, with Satsuki exclaiming "we're here!" in excitement as they stepped into the compactly cozy shop. However, much to their disappointment, it was much more occupied than expected.

"I'm so sorry, but we're full at the moment," the tender informed apologetically, hands before her white apron in a show of courtesy, "perhaps you can come back later?"

"Huh?! No way!" Kagami protested, "I'm starving here!"

"Please," Satsuki enquired politely, "are there really no available seats at all?"

The middle-aged woman demonstrated the processing of her mind with a hand on her chin and an audible "hmmm" before answering, "well, there _are_ six empty seats..."

"Really?" the younger female brightened, "we'll take them!"

"...but they make up a part of an already occupied table. If both groups of my precious customers don't mind, perhaps it would be possible for you to share it with them?"

The group of basketball fanatics followed her hand as she gestured to the back of the eatery, where nine individuals (five guys and four girls) donning uniform jackets were laughing away at something a short-statured male had said. At that point, one of its girls excused herself and stood up, turning to make her way towards the restaurant's entrance.

Kise felt his eyes widen.

* * *

After spending an hour at the convention centre familiarising themselves with its stage to their coach's satisfaction, Rakuzan High's young but promising Street Dance crew pleaded with its supervisor to permit them free-and-easy exploration of the city until evening when they had to congregate at a small hotel to camp for the night. After a show of serious and reluctant consideration (the teacher herself wanted to visit Tokyo's shops), she acceded to their request, but not before acquiring everybody's promise of behaving and regularly updating the committee members of their whereabouts. With eager vows, the fifty-strong group divided itself into its respective cliques, each of which darted of to an area of their interest.

In Chiaki's bunch's case, they headed straight to a yakiniku restaurant at the begging and craving of nobody else but her.

The store manager was hospitable enough to put together two eight-seater tables for the large group, giving them the luxury of six extra free spaces to mount their bags on. They opted for the buffet (at which Physical Trainer Akihito warned of an extra set of workouts), and while waiting for their order to come, indulged in some mild gossip and mindless chattering.

"So, there's this girl in my class who's really eyeing you, Ryou-chan!" Daichi brought up, directing all attention to his tall club mate. "She thinks that you're really hot, and she herself is pretty cute too. You want me to play wingman?"

Ryousuke responded with a modest smile, his baritone voice rumbling, "no thanks."

"Ahaha! Of course Ryousuke is hot, that's why we made him the Public Relations head, no?" Saeri thumped his back rather proudly. "The face of our RSDC!"

Although he originated from their middle school's dance club as well, Ryousuke had only joined in his third year with almost no dancing background at all, his experience amounting to self practise from watching tutorials on the internet. Despite being blessed with good looks and a tall stature, he was unexpectedly reserved and quiet, which did not help his prospects in his new choice of club activity as it seriously hindered emotional and bodily expression when dancing. However, his passion and drive to succeed was recognised, and Chiaki decided to induct him into her gang of three, placing him under the tutelage of Rikiya and the partnership of Saeri. His aloof demeanour made it hard for him to interact with the others, and he was initially affronted by the sometimes insane antics of his new friends, but with time they broke his barriers down and he became an irreplaceable member of their group.

With their already established bond, Saeri and Ryousuke continued as a pair in couple-orientated shows into high school as they possessed the greatest amount of chemistry (Rikiya and Chiaki, being the best, complemented each other perfectly and were automatically matched. The same went for Daichi and Keiko, and Sachiko and the twins). The former was originally incredibly self-conscious as her partner was noticeably handsome (she even fancied herself liking him for a period in middle school), but realised that he too, was just as insecure as everybody else and eventually considered him a brother.

"Hey! You all are overlooking me," Daichi angled his chin with his thumb and index finger in a comically exaggerated 'cool' action, "I am actually the secret chick-magnet of our club, you know?"

His friends broke in guffaws at his proclamation. "You?! Yeah, maybe if you're taller!"

Saeri let her laughter fade before announcing that she needed to relieve herself, and then pushed her body up to leave the table and approach the latrine which was beside the eatery's only entrance.

That was when she saw a familiar pair of golden eyes she wished that she would never encounter again.

* * *

**A/N: HOLY CRAP 6,700+ WORDS! MY MIND IS SERIOUSLY MUSH RIGHT NOW (so forgive me if there are some gaps. I'll replace it once I'm clear-minded again) 8( I know that this chapter didn't contain much about Kise or Akashi, and majority of it is spent on explaining Saeri and her friends. I hope the number of new characters isn't overwhelming, and I hope that they will be more than just background actors. I'll expand more on them and I hope that you guys won't mind it! **

**And I felt so uncomfortable and embarrassed typing out Saeri's fake meeting with Kise HAHA LOL! If you guys referred to the first chapter (discounting Prologue), you guys might see that I copied and paraphrase certain words to make the parallel ;)**

**AND THE REVIEWS! HOLY MAMA! Thank you so much to** hokkyokukou**, **Ninja99**, **AmaranthineImbalance**, **princess thieves of heart**, **hflores**, **Infinite Skye**, **NeutralEvilz**, **Tollpatsch** and** ANON-CHAMA**! It really touches me to see the recurring usernames :') I really appreciate your interest in this story! And of course, my gratitude extends to all new readers, followers and favouriters as well :')))**

hokkyokukou: OMG thank you for pointing that out! I replaced the chapter immediately after you mentioned it! So embarrassing to spell a major character's name wrong DX

princess thieves of heart: Haha I found your user familiar too! (so sorry, but I doubt that I will be updating Can You Keep A Secret anytime soon...)

Infinite Skye, NeutralEvilz and ANON-CHAMA: Yeah, it wasn't until I finished reading all the available KnB chapters that I realised that it was OOC for Akashi to say a line like that... DX I changed it immediately as well! Thank you so much for pointing it out!

ANON-CHAMA: NO OFFENSE TAKEN AT ALL! I had my doubts about Akashi smiling and waving as well, but I didn't intend for him to be like :) *wave wave wave*, in my mind, he was more like, trying to catch their attention among the crowd and just to inform them that he's there (not that he isn't alr eye-catching enough LOL)? And I didn't intend for him to have a full on smile as well (it was mostly in Saeri's imagination too HAHA), but I saw in a chapter that he had this really tender look when he said that he had utmost confidence in his Rakuzan team, so I thought that he might not be THAT much of a cold jerk haha! I hope I don't sound defensive, on the contrary, please don't hesitate to point out any more OOCness!

Tollpatsch: Thank you for your support! :) Well, I guess that it is true that it's up to each's interpretation, but I really like to stick to the canon portrayal as much as possible! It's just me, haha! But still, I'm really thankful for your review as well! :)

**I really hope I didn't miss out on anything that needs to be addressed! I'm so afraid that Akashi's OOC again in this fic, or if I wrongly portrayed any other canon character, so I would really need your...**

**Thoughts? :)**


	6. Five Fictions

It was as if time froze over, much like Saeri's heart.

In fact, she wished that it did so that she could bolt for it under his nose, or perhaps dig an underground chamber to stow away. Or in foresight, maybe even prepare her own grave. _Anything_, as long as it allowed her an opportunity to escape from her dreadful predicament right now. But then again, even if time _did_ stop, she couldn't move her body no matter how much she wanted to; every single muscle, fibre, and cell she possessed was paralysed with fear of the highest degree. Her large, unblinking eyes were stinging and dry, her numb, clammy skin was damp with cold sweat, and her comatose, slipping mind was keeling from the lack of blood, which glaciated within her veins.

Even_ breathing_ was a struggle.

"Oh... My... GOD!" A faint noise in the background aggrandized to a clear voice, the loud volume of which was recognised to be Chiaki's. "ARE YOU KISE RYOUTA?! OH MY GOD! NICE TO FINALLY MEET YOU!"

It took a bump and clutch on her shoulder from the rambunctious Dance President to yank Saeri out from her stupor, and she dazedly turned to her right to see the other brunette practically swooning with excitement. Following that, her line of vision uncontrollably returned to the blonde male who stood a metre away, noting with extreme perturbation that his previously wide, shocked eyes had narrowed into a glare demanding for explanation.

Was it possible to grill herself to death on the nearest griddle?

"My name is Kirishima Chiaki!" The clueless dancer stuck a hand out with accidental overenthusiasm, her most resplendent beam revealing every tooth in her mouth. "I'm Saeri's best friend, so you better make sure you get my approval if you truly want to be her boyfriend!"

The petrified girl also entertained the thought of strangling her friend with her own long hair. How could Chiaki _not_ feel the tension?!

"Her...boyfriend." The blonde sceptically stated more than inquired after a bout of substantial silence, a brow quirked up and a hand uncertainly grasping the one he was offered.

"YES!" His eardrums were pierced by shrill screeches. "OH, COME ON! EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP! YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE TO HIDE IT ANYMORE! OH MY GOD! I CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR THE STORY OF HOW YOU MET OUR SAERI FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW! IT WAS REALLY ROMANTIC, THAT NIGHT YOU SPENT WITH HER!"

_That _night_ I spent with her...?! WHEN?! _It felt as though a boulder had struck Kise on the head. His yellow optics now stared at the blaring human loudhailer in a mixture of confusion, disbelief and indignity, his mouth hung loose on its own accord. Fidgeting in the corner of his vision then directed his attention to the other girl, who he nailed a wide-eyed, interrogating glare on, deriving mild satisfaction from seeing her squirm in discomfort. _She better feel discomfort, _he muttered darkly in his heart, _just _what_ has she been telling them?!_ Processing the situation and his own curiosity, the Kaijo Ace decided to keep mum and find out about the kind of rubbish she had been spreading before massacring her on the spot in front of her friends with the truth.

"Relationship?" Momoi spoke up from behind him, wide pink eyes regarding the girl with shoulder-length chestnut hair and an expression akin to an animal rooted in the way of an oncoming vehicle. "You're Ki-chan's new girlfriend?!"

Her other friends, being males, decided to keep quiet and observe the situation despite the flurry of questions in their minds.

"Oh my! What are we all standing here for? _One, two, three, four, five.._." Chiaki tip-toed to count the number of new faces, trying her best to see past their impossibly tall and wide statures. "Oh damn! Nearly missed out on one! ALRIGHT! IT'S JUST NICE; WE HAVE SIX EMPTY SEATS!"

She spun around to address her own group, who have been watching the entire scene with restrained excitement. "MOVE YOUR BAGS AND ASSES, YOU GUYS! WE HAVE COMPANY!"

Saeri could all but stop the newcomers from filing past her calcified body and merging with her group, who hospitably introduced themselves with welcoming grins and outstretched hands. As she had expected, the last to stride over was the model, who made sure to reduce her self-esteem to an all-time low with the dirtiest look he could muster. In response, she could only prostrate her misery with a most penitent expression of remorseful eyes and a shameful gape. Her heart wasn't even palpitating anymore; she could no longer feel_ anything_ with the sub-zero temperature that overwhelmed her entire being.

Out of all the dreams she had, most of which constituted sharing mutual eternal love with Akashi, _why_ must this nightmare come true instead?

"AHHHHH! RIKI, YOU DUMB FOOL!" Chiaki thwacked her partner's head with a bag she was shifting, looking as though he had commited felony, "DON'T TAKE SAE'S SEAT! OBVIOUSLY SHE HAS TO SIT RIGHT NEXT TO KISE-SAN, AIN'T IT?!"

"Uuuuuwaa...! Y-Yes, Boss-lady!" The victim wailed and clutched at his throbbing scalp, sniffling in repentance. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please forgive meee..."

"GEEZ, HOW THICK ARE YOU?!" She supervised his migration to Ryousuke's side with crossed arms, then snapped back to the only standing person left with total change of facial expression. "SUGIYAMA SAERI! What are you standing around for?! Come and sit beside your beloved!"

Saeri managed to gulp, further drying out her mouth and throat. She noted with staggering trepidation that her new blonde oppressor did not even bother to turn his head, his posture rigid and unreadable on the wooden chair. Miraculously producing a contorted smile, she nodded and took the seat beside him with stiff, robotic movements.

She kept an outward disposition as normal as she could, while it was World War Three within her mind between giving in to curiosity and turning to gage his current expression, and maintaining her composure and preserving her sanity.

"Ohhh, so you all are from Rakuzan High?" Momoi, always the conversation starter, asked as she eyed the logo and words emblazoned on her new acquaintances' backs. Then, enquiring further with a warm smile, "I wonder if you all know an Akashi Seijuro-kun?"

The relaxed atmosphere that the dance crew exuded abruptly plunged with her innocent question, and they gave each other knowing glances, all unanimously agreeing on the sensitive nature of the topic through telepathy. How awkward it would be to bring up Saeri's past love in front of her current one!

"Y-Yeah, we do," Daichi took the initiative to reply, "he's the famous first-year basketball captain who thinks that he's the ruler of Heaven and Earth."

"Ruler of Heaven and Earth?" Midorima repeated with a push of his spectacles, an understanding smirk on his lips, "that sounds about right."

_How can they be so relaxed?! How can they possibly be so_ oblivious_ to this tension?!_ Saeri screamed bloody murder in her throbbing head, her hands furiously fisting the fabric of the bag on her lap and her mind sounding urgent alarms at the proximity she shared with the male beside. It was like sitting right next to a ticking time bomb, never knowing when it will blow up and exterminate your life and those around in the most brutal fashion. Her eyes apprehensively regarded the friendly actions her friends did to socialise with the new group, bringing the festive mood back with smiles and casual chatter about their dance and relationship history. _How can they be so proud of a friend who lies to them...?!_

At that moment, a realization struck Saeri so hard that it shattered all the solid ice that encased her insides. _No_, she thought with rising determination, _I cannot let them find out about the truth like this. No matter what, I'll find a way. I can't give up now!_

She admitted the need to preserve her pride and reputation, but believed the absolute must in preserving her friendship, even if it would cost her life. She knew and understood the deceptiveness and destructive consequences of her actions if she continued her lie, but recognised and agreed that the better route was if they found out about the truth through her and only her. It was a necessary evil. Although she felt immensely guilty, she couldn't care less about the perception that her handsome victim had of her, or the injustice that he had suffered or was suffering; in the end, he's a stranger after all.

_At all costs_, she steeled her resolution with a deranged glance to her side, _I'll shut his mouth_.

Kise was fully aware of the blatant discomfort that suppressed the fidgeting girl to his right; he just wondered _how_ on Earth the other occupants of the bustling table were not. From the pride and genuine joy they displayed for her through anecdotes and praises, he concluded that Sugiyama Saeri was blessed with a group of unquestioningly loyal and very good friends, which was perfect as he would reveal how much of a fraud the girl was and how undeserving she was of their companionship. Although he did feel that it was a cruel punishment, she had it coming. It was retribution, it was karma, and she needed to learn her lesson. The basketball prodigy decided to hear every single lie she told before finally dispelling all of them with his side of the story. No matter how shameless and stubborn she may be, nobody can possibly still stand for their dishonesty when confronted with the pure, undisputed truth from its original source.

"ANYYYYWAAAAY," he heard the loud-mouthed girl sing, meeting her teasing eyes with his indifferent ones, "TELL US HOW ABOUT HOW YOU MET SAERI! WHAT MADE YOU APPROACH HER AT THE PARK THAT NIGHT?"

"Approach her at the park that night?" He repeated with a frown, his previous conviction diminishing with a desire to terminate the whole affair right there and then. An ominous feeling about his decision to let her relay the stories was starting to prick his skin, and he reconsidered the need to actually listen to the entire tale before staking his claim.

Momoi and the boys (even Midorima), now waited expectantly for his reply with curious stares directed at him, and the same went for Saeri's friends. Meanwhile, the brunette girl (having surrendered to the compulsion to witness his response), was not blind to the sudden surge of determination that flashed past his yellow eyes, which in turn heightened her own as well.

If she needed to act, she needed to act _now_.

Thinking that he needed a push, Chiaki facilitated by narrowing her question. "OH, YOU KNOW! What made you talk to her and kis-"

It was then a violent push of a chair and a resounding slap across a blonde head occurred simultaneously.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TOUCHING?!"

* * *

**Liar, Liar**

_**Five Fictions**_

* * *

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TOUCHING?!"

The unexpected outburst delivered the same effect as having a rug pulled out from beneath their feet without warning: every single person, -inclusive of the other customers and restaurant staff-, had their momentum and thoughts thrown into disarray, their eyes all wide and fixated on the only standing girl in the place, confusion and shock the prevailing emotions that constructed the mood of the situation.

However, nobody came close to what Kise was experiencing. So utterly flabbergasted he was that he couldn't even_ think_, much less feel the sting of the hit on the back of his head.

Saeri, bearing the combined weight and pressure of all the enquiring stares and the knowledge of what really happened, impelled her forcibly reluctant body to face the flummoxed boy to her left, her eyes accusing his in a mixture of shock, anger, and indignity. After taking a few deep, calming breaths, she started again, "why are you looking at me like that?!"

Kise remained stationary, his yellow orbs drying out from the exposure they received from his unblinking stare up towards the astounded girl.

"Just now, you all saw it too, right?" Although inappropriate for the situation, Saeri herself was impressed by the high calibre of her acting skills as she turned to cast a hysterical sweeping glance to the other astonished people seated around her, the expression of fear and distraught on her face not entirely fake. She then made a sudden snatch for the blonde model's right hand and proceeded to rub its palm against her left thigh in forceful, deranged strokes. "Just now, he was molesting my leg, like this..."-one stroke- "like this..." -two strokes- "like this!"

...At least his touch was not completely made up anymore...

It took several more sweeps against her skin to snap Kise out of his reverie with a jerk of his golden hair. Finally consolidating his senses, he yanked his arm back out of her grasp with more force than he'd ever exerted during a steal in a basketball match, and viewed and held it as though it was a foreign entity by itself.

"...I did...?" He asked faintly and softly, then brandished his hand to her face like an alibi to attest to his innocence, eyes flashing and furious voice roaring for the Heavens to hear, "I DID?!"

"I'm sorry, Ryouta-kun, I know that this will hurt your pride as a model and ladykiller, but..." Already predicting his anger and preparing her response towards it, the brunette girl swatted his limb away and then pressed both hands to her chest, her face and lips trembling with pain and betrayal. "Although many girls may have fell for your charms and all, and may have willingly accepted y-your...advances..."

She moved her palms upwards to cover her mouth and nose, eyes scrunched to exhibit tearing and body shaking to compliment her faux sobs. Taking a few moments to steady herself (in reality, steady her brutally insane and traumatised nerves from this atrocity she was pulling off), she finally screamed in a strangled, muffled voice, "BUT I'M NOT THAT KIND OF EASY PERSON!"

She then seized her fallen bag and frantically dashed out of the restaurant, her frenzied legs and body hitting against chairs and stunned waiters in her journey.

Saeri could not believe what she just did. She couldn't believe it at all. She did not want to think about the severity of the subsequent consequences of her actions, nor how she was going to face everybody else later. The only thought she had in mind right now was to hide, and spotting a large wooden sign advertising some travel package on the pavement across the street, she sprinted to the other side without any regards to the incoming traffic (thus eliciting many honks from irritated drivers) and concealed herself in its shadow, occasionally peeking out to see if she had any pursuers.

She did not know what to think, nor what to feel. She only knew that she was going to die a horrible death for the moral crime she just committed. The ground she stood on might as well wrench a hole open and swallow her down to the fiery pits of eternal Hell right now.

Back at the Yakiniku eatery, it wasn't until an incensed Ryousuke shot to his full height and threatened to beat the still-baffled Kise senseless did everybody else jolt back to their senses, with Rikiya, Daichi and Akihito struggling to subdue their enraged friend and the entire table thrown into chaos.

"CALM DOWN, RYOU!"

The violently resisting taller dancer bared his teeth, his handsome face contorted with rage, "HOW CAN I?!"

"Just because you're a star, you think that you can get away with everything," Keiko nailed the most demeaning glare she could on the model, her arms crossed and her every bit of respect for him gone.

Beside her, Sachiko shared her disdain. "Men and women are different, we don't subscribe to your lecherous ways."

Chiaki could not even produce anything, the shock rendering her mute.

The newly established hatred for Kise was however, not only limited to the table he resided; it extended to the neighbouring customers as well.

"What a disgrace to men," a wizened old man growled, regarding the blonde as though he was scum.

Another middle-aged woman scoffed derisively, "blessed with such a beautiful face, but cursed with such an ugly heart."

Even the waiters and waitresses shook their heads, their insults inhibited by service policies.

Kise had never felt so wronged, so maligned, so _offended_ in his sixteen years of life. His motionless frame could do nothing but remain in its seat as his addled mind processed the _abomination_ that had transpired. Every ounce of dignity so unjustifiably ousted from his soul, he turned to the only solace he had at the moment, appealing to his friends with a gaping stare for their assurance and belief in him.

Kagami gave a low mutter in English. _"Damn."_

"...Gemini _is_ the lowest ranked today," was all Midorima could offer.

A wordless Aomine looked at him almost pityingly.

The most disturbing reaction he received came from Momoi, who whimpered under the dilemma between her trust in her friend and sympathy for a fellow female. "Ki-chan... D-did you really-"

"I believe in Kise-kun."

Upon making his claim, Kuroko came under the immediate scrutiny of twelve pairs of eyes, which he responded with an indifferent blink. "Kise-kun is not the type to stoop so low as to touch a girl inappropriately."

"Kurokocchi..." Kise's affection and gratitude towards his former teammate soared thousandfold, and a prickling sensation surrounded his eyes.

"What the hell are you trying to say, you shorty?!" Daichi, standing at only 165cm himself, grimaced and growled, "so you're telling us that anego made it all up?! HUH?!"

"No," the phantom player corrected coolly despite the amount of hostility that was directed towards him, "I'm just saying that there must have been a misunderstanding."

"MISUNDERSTANDING?" Chiaki, finally picking up her microphone of a voice, shot an accusing finger towards her new blonde enemy, "A GUY THAT WOULD SUDDENLY FLIRT WITH AND KISS A GIRL HE KNEW FOR A NIGHT, WHAT KIND OF MISUNDERSTANDING CAN THERE POSSIBLY BE ABOUT A SORT OF GUY LIKE THAT?!"

"Kiss her?!" It was Kise's turn to raise his volume and slam palms onto the table in a bid to stand up, "WHEN HAVE I EVER?!"

"OH, STOP DENYING EVERY SINGE BLOODY THING!"

This was simply too much for him to handle. No matter how truthful his words were and how much he protested, he would ultimately still be regarded as the villain. The Pride of Kaijo mentally surrendered and admitted to the prowess of Sugiyama Saeri; she was on an entirely different level. _Everything_ had worked in her favour. _Everything_ turned out the way she wanted to. She owned the tide, and it was at his expense. He had been driven into an unredeemable corner by her, where the only escape route was to somehow force her to come out clean with the truth. But will she? _She will, _he affirmed savagely_, because I'll make her._ Kise needed to find her right now. He needed to hunt her down._ Pronto_.

"Everybody calm down! Ki-chan is not that type of guy!" He heard Momoi come to his defence, her conviction awakened by Kuroko, "I think there really must have been a misunderstanding!"

"SHUT YOUR TRAP, BITCH!" Chiaki snapped barbarically, inducing a yelp from the frightened girl, "ALL YOU HAVE ARE BOOBS, HOW CAN YOU THINK?!"

Aomine rose to his height, his anger riled by the defamation of his childhood friend. "Oi, watch it."

"Come and have a shot, you punk!" Masahito watched his twin challenge the significantly taller man apprehensively.

Midorima deadpanned unaffectedly as his glasses reflected the turbulent spectacle, "how things have disintegrated..."

"Everybody, please calm down!"

"Ryou! Cool your head! ...HEY YOU, BASTARD!"

"...N-no, _you_ cool _your_ head, Riki..."

"Boys! Chill! I understand your anger, but we must not get into trouble on a school trip!"

"APOLOGISE TO SAERI! APOLOGISE, APOLOGISE, APOLOGISE!"

"You too, Boss!"

_"...This is Japanese lunchtime rush..."_

"Kise-kun," Kuroko, the only sane voice of reason, addressed his former teammate who was marginalised by the ensuing chaos (which was _mostly_ instigated by the dancers), "I suggest you seek out Sugiyama-san and talk things out with her. Once you have clarified the issues, bring her back to stop this madness. They shouldn't notice if you leave now..."

The blonde nodded understandingly and carried out the instructions, managing to slip out into the open air of the outside street without any disruption (save for a few glares from the staff and other patrons). For the first time, his head was filled to the brim with questions and doubts unrelated to basketball; there were just so many things he had to say to the little shrew that he did not know where to start. Speaking of which, he also did not know where to start looking for her.

_She left not too long ago_, he rationalised,_ so she couldn't have gone far, right?_

It was then he caught sight of a shivering blob of brown behind some signboard from across the street, and his yellow eyes latched onto dark ones as the girl made the fatal mistake of choosing to peek out at that moment. Her reaction was quick and instantaneous.

And so were his feet.

* * *

Saeri now knew what it was like to be running for her life.

For the past ten minutes she had been darting through streets and alleys, pushing crowds, skipping up staircases and risking trips as she worked her pair of legs to no end without destination. She only had her dancing background to thank for the stamina that enabled her race, honed through Akihito's vigorous physical trainings, as well as the fighting desperation to flee that fuelled her will and blocked out the creeping pain in her sides.

Unfortunately, no matter how fast she ran, she was no match for a true-blue, pure-blooded athlete.

Kise had to hand it to her nonetheless, as she proved capable of outrunning him for at least ten whole minutes before finally falling into his clutches when they entered a park somewhere. The moment his large hand clamped down her shoulder, her knees buckled under its literal and metaphorical weight and she keeled over, panting and gasping for air. Feeling the need to relieve himself of the squeeze in his chest as well, the basketballer bent over to catch his breath too.

"Y-You..." Obviously, he recovered first. "Why did you start the rumours of us dating? I don't even know you!"

"I-I d-d-d-didn't..." Saeri panted, still under the grip of suffocated lungs. She straightened her back and briefly glanced around at her surroundings, noting with extreme irony that they were in the exact same location as their fantasy first meeting place. "I didn't s-start them...!"

"OH, YOU DIDN'T!" Kise was unable to stop his outburst, blinking in incredulity at her blatant denial. "So I suddenly got myself a girlfriend from Kyoto for no reason at all, is that it?"

"No! That's not what I meant!" She made to move towards him, her distraught expression begging for forgiveness and understanding. "Please, listen to me!"

"Don't come any closer!" He raised his arms as though to ward her off, taking a few steps backwards while nailing her a warning look. "I don't want any more misunderstandings!"

"Everything has been a misunderstanding!" She explained desperately, "our relationship has been misunderstood by everybody we know!"

He lowered his hands and narrowed his eyes. "Then how did these misunderstandings come about? Obviously someone must have started it! There can't be smoke without fire!"

The brunette bit her lip and stared at her shoes for a few moments before answering, finally feeling the hard beatings of her heart. "W-Well, I may have unknowingly started them..."

The blonde could not believe his ears. "BUT YOU JUST SAID THAT YOU DIDN'T START THEM!"

"I didn't! I mean, I did! Yet sort of didn't..." The girl trailed off, realizing with panic that her statement complicated matters rather than solving them. She took a few calming breaths before starting again, feeling the most truthful she had been in a while. "Remember that day I met you at the café? The reason why I was mumbling to myself was that I lied to my rival that I had a boyfriend."

"You lied about having a boyfriend?" Kise asked, whatever respect he had for her diminishing entirely, "AND THAT BOYFRIEND WAS ME?!"

"NO! I HAVE NEVER USED YOUR NAME AT ALL!" Saeri screamed defensively, then lowered her voice as she withered under his intense glare. "I didn't give her a specific name, only some characteristics based off my crush, and it just so happened that you shared those traits I mentioned too..."

He waited for her to continue.

"Then, w-when you pulled me into a hug and all," an annoying blush surfaced below her skin, "somebody took a picture and uploaded it, and everybody started making assumptions. My rival drew the connections, and got her friend to confirm all the suspicions, and the news spread. I think that's how the rumour started."

The blonde model examined her face and body language. From her obvious discomfort and genuinely distressed expression, coupled on with the logic of her explanation (which_ did_ coincide with the stories he'd read online), he assumed it safe to trust her words, although he was not sure to what extent. Somehow, his conscience and their previous experiences vouched for her testimony, although his mind and the recent encounters with her chose to argue otherwise. He will need to know more before making his decision.

"Then why didn't you dispel it?" He found fault. "Why do all of your friends think that we are together? Why do they all think that we spent a night together, and that I kissed you?!"

His increasing agitation antagonized her embarrassment to no end. She flinched and clamped her eyes shut, fully engulfed in humiliation. "B-Because... B-b-b-b-b-cause... 'cause..."

Her weakening voice simply added on to his frustration. "Because what?!"

"Because I couldn't bring myself to admit that I lied about having a boyfriend," she chose to remain blind, her fists crushing the fabric of her shorts so hard that it risked dissolving, "and because a stage was already set so perfectly advantageous to my story, I decided to continue and feed the lie."

Kise could not even feel anger anymore, leaning backwards slightly after a few moments of processing to give a laugh so dry it put deserts to shame.

"You decided to continue and feed the lie to your advantage," he repeated faintly, "and make me the scapegoat...?"

"I'm so sorry! I really am truly, very sorry!" She wrenched her lids open to meet his eyes, her own starting to tear. All the guilt she bore within came into light, and she desperately clasped her palms together in a literal beg for forgiveness. "I really didn't want to compromise you, but I had no other choice! Every night I wondered about the situation on your side! I wondered how you handled it, and how you were feeling, but I could do nothing! I felt so helpless!"

His innate compassion softened his stance against her at the sight of her sincere remorse, and it took the hard edge of his glare away.

"And it didn't sound like you were denying anything, so I thought it would be okay for the lie to continue, and then I will eventually announce our break-up after some time!" A regretful tear escaped her left eye, but Saeri could no longer care about her pride and dignity. "Please, Kise-san! Please forgive me! Please!"

The Kaijo Ace drew his lips into a taut line and frowned. To be honest, he did not care so much about the lie as he did for the betrayal he felt when he realised the true intention behind their initial meetings. After all, it was not a big deal for him to have a girlfriend. Now that he had heard about the reality of her actions (and trusted his instincts enough to believe her), he wondered if he should still hold the grudge against her. It _did_ seem that she a victim in her own way as well...

"Those times we met in Tokyo... The karaoke box and the café," he ventured, something within him already hoping for an affirmation, "were they all part of your plan to rope me into a grand scheme or something?"

"WHAT?! NO!" She practically screamed in shock, her eyes wide in genuine astonishment at his accusation, "I mean, no! Those times were pure coincidence! And it's not like I would purposely humiliate myself for anything! Especially not... like...what I did... Oh God..."

Whatever discomfort and innocent embarrassment she showed at the café returned, and Kise inexplicably felt a wave of relief wash within him as well as the same sense of geniality he had back at the café. Although his trust in her still required much reparation, from their interactions so far, he was assured enough to believe that she was not a scheming shrew after all; only a victim who took advantage and made the best of her predicament. He could only hope to not be disappointed again.

"Then," he began after a nerve-wrecking bout of silence, "even if I do forgive you, what are you going to do? How can we move on?"

It was then Saeri realised the severity and importance of his question, and inwardly berated herself for not seeing and asking it before. _Just what am I going to do?_ Things have already gotten this far, it was near impossible to turn back right now. With the chaos she had generated in school and at the Yakiniku eatery, there would be no way, no opportunity to come out with the truth in a plausible manner. _Just how-_

At that moment, an idea, so brazen and so shameless that her brain nearly dismissed it for self-preserving protocols, formed within her befuddled mind. _No_, she protested, _there's no way I can actually suggest that... But then again... There's no other solution..._

She had long discarded her pride. There was nothing to lose anymore, anyway.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up into the blonde model's eyes with steely determination.

"Kise-san, I have a proposal..."

* * *

Unable to tolerate the noise pollution they caused, the management of the Yakiniku restaurant decided to chase the entire bunch of youths out, going as far as to be willing to cancel their orders without compensation. As such, the two separate groups of basketballers and dancers stood at opposite ends of the eatery's entrance, with the latter occasionally shooting disgruntled looks at their new enemies.

Momoi sighed as she lowered her phone. "Ki-chan isn't picking up..."

"Neither is anego..." Masahito mirrored her actions.

They had no choice but to await the arrival of the couple and a resolution to their new, undesired strife.

As if on cue, two pairs of familiar shoes stepped within their line of sight and brightened their expressions with variations of worry and relief.

"Kise!" "Ki-chan!" "Kise-kun."

"Anego!" "Sae-chan!" "SAERI!"

They were about to launch into a barrage of questions when the posture and disposition of the returning couple stopped them in their tracks and speech.

"Saeri," Ryousuke frowned, his mouth slightly agape, "what happened?"

"Ki-chan!" Momoi cried, mildly surprised herself. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, Momocchi, nothing to worry," Kise forced a happy grin.

Saeri followed suit. "Everything was a misunderstanding, I'm so sorry for alarming everybody like that...!"

The group of thirteen enlisted the help of time to aid them in their processing of the situation, as well as the brunette girl's tight and affectionate clutch on the male's torso, his right arm embracing her shoulders.

"...WHAT?!"

"I didn't expect to run into Ryouta in the restaurant just now, so I was a little taken aback by his sudden appearance, and was a little overwhelmed by meeting his friends," Saeri explained uncomfortably, rubbing the back of her head with in embarrassment, "so I started getting very tensed and edgy when we sat down."

"And then while we were all talking, my hand accidentally brushed against her leg," Kise continued in a manner one would when talking fondly of the antics of a spouse.

"I overreacted and mistook him getting fresh with me," the brunette forced with much difficulty. "I'm so sorry making such a scene and antagonizing everybody's relationships. I was so selfish!"

She then turned to the group of athletes, slightly intimidated by their tall statures, and bowed in repentance. "Please don't hold any ill feelings towards my friends, they were simply acting how they would if I had been wronged. I am the one to blame! I apologise for whatever injustice you all have suffered!"

It took several moments for them to get accustomed to the change in notion.

"I-I guess it wasn't a big deal..." Momoi smiled kindly, though still uncertain.

"Moreover, you should apologise to Kise," Aomine told the brunette girl, sharing his childhood friend's doubt.

"Yeah, she did just now when we_ talked_ things out." Though she couldn't see it, Saeri was highly aware of the weighted look Kise had pinned on her as he assured his friends.

Straightening her back, she proceeded to do the same towards her dance troupe. "I'm so sorry for all the trouble I've caused. I am fully willing to be on dance-room cleaning duty for two months!"

"Anego..." The twins, Daichi and Sachiko chorused, every bit as ambivalent as the others.

"Saeri, you're sure he didn't do anything?" Rikiya questioned one more time for confirmation as Chiaki and Ryousuke simply stared wordlessly at her.

"Yes. I'm very sure." Saeri attested with a smile. "It should have occurred to me that Ryouta isn't that kind of guy."

The prevalent tension reluctantly dissipated, but the group still held many unanswered qualms which they decided to clarify at a later, and more personal time.

"Saeri, you're sure that you're fine?" Chiaki finally spoke up, regarding her friend sceptically.

Kuroko looked at his former teammate, any hesitation he possessed hidden by his flat voice. "Kise-kun, I hope everything is really alright."

"Of course everything is fine!" The brunette brushed off with a dismissive flick of her wrist as she latched herself onto the blonde's side again.

The model nodded brightly and draped his arm back across her shoulders, flashing a grin which secretly ached his face and conscience.

"She's my girlfriend, after all!"

* * *

**A/N: OMG I CAN ALREADY PREDICT SAE-HATERS! DON'T WORRY, SHE WILL REDEEM HERSELF SOON. I HOPE. To be honest, I'm not too happy with the explanations in this chapter... But I really wanted to finish it today because I won't be having any more time soon! Things are starting to get really hectic in my education life right now...**

**And this is very important: the scene where she slapped Kise for 'molesting' her was taken directly from a scene in another K-drama, City Hall. When I watched it it was so adorably funny and seemed so relevant (the female lead told a lie about spending a night with the male lead as well, and he popped the moment she was telling the story to her friends, and things ensued...) that I absolutely had to put it in my story. If you found that scene funny or ingenious (which you ought to!), remember that I DID NOT thought it up. The talented scriptwriters from S. Korea did. OK?**

**As always, I hope that I managed to keep all the character in character... I hope I didn't make angry!Kise too unbelievable.**

**And I hope that the turnout of events was plausible! I've got a feeling that Kise's change of mind may have been a little too sudden, but I've always thought of him as an easy-going kind of guy, so he wouldn't hold it against her too much? More will be explained in later chapters. **

**AND OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS (**hokkyokukou, princess thieves of heart, Ninja99, Sorii, NeutralEvilz, Tollpatsch, ANON-CHAMA, and animelover99**), FAVES, FOLLOWS AND READS ONCE AGAIN! :') (I keep saying this but I really feel really grateful! It makes me smile so much :D)**

hokkyokukou: glad that it made you cringe 'cos it was meant to XD

animelover99: Haha I'm actually glad that somebody found Saeri annoying in the first chapt! (I admit that it did deliver a little blow to me though) Because that means that it gives me more room to develop her character, and it would bring me great satisfaction if I can eventually persuade somebody to like her through my writing! :) Thank you so much for your opinion! But no offense, I do have to say that you shouldn't make a sweeping statement like that; I do know and have heard of many couples to lasted through high school and even beyond up till marriage, and most of them are truly in love. Keep da faithz yo!

**I can't really think of anything else to say at the moment... My mind's tired... DX**

**Oh and the next update may take up to a month, cos I'm really busy with projects right now... I'll try my best to have the next chapt up ASAP though!**

**Meanwhile, your thooooooughts? :)**


	7. Six in the Mix

"You're so lucky, Sae-chan!"

Saeri turned to her senior questioningly, "eh?"

"Your boyfriend's handsome and nice, and rich I presume, from his modelling job," Keiko elaborated, sidestepping a passing schoolmate in the corridor towards the dance room, "does he treat you like a princess?"

When Minagawa Keiko first introduced herself to the newly established Street Dance Club's audition panel, she reminded the Vice-President of a terrier. Not in the degrading way, mind you. Her short height, baby face and bobbed black hair passed her off as 'adorable' and 'cute', but her surprisingly voluptuous body, choice of an edgy dance style, unintentionally cutting speech and sharp eyes revealed a far bigger attitude that seemingly would not hesitate to talk down anybody who displeased her. That, coupled with her seniority, Saeri found her incredibly intimidating and thus talked to her with extreme politeness (unlike Chiaki). However, Keiko proved to be extremely kind, receptive, and was perfectly fine with following the orders of a bunch of first-year brats (unlike many other seniors). She also took pride in being the 'mother' and 'big-sister' of the gang, and thus was often the first person whom people turn to whenever they needed a confidante, and Saeri was no exception.

"Yeah," she answered with a flawless smile, hands digging into her bag for a vibrating phone, "Ryouta treats me just like a-"

**.**

**From: **Kise Ryouta  
**To: **Sugiyama Saeri

**(Today, 3:20pm)**

_Zunon has a new online poll which I need you to do. At least sixty times. Sorry, I don't really care about stuff like popularity polls, but my agent says that if I come out top, they'll increase my pay. Thanks!_

**_._**

"-princess..."

"How nice! Ah, I'm so jealous," the shorter girl sighed, "when will I find a good boyfriend, I wonder?"

"Yeah," Saeri's left eye twitched involuntarily as her mind jumped a week back in time, "Ryouta's a _real_ good boyfriend..."

...

_As if in attempt to see through her thick layer of skin and into her brazen mind, golden eyes squinted down piercingly at the brazen brunette._

_"Let me get this straight and clear," Kise said, crossing his arms. "You want me to play along with our pretend relationship."_

_Saeri withered not under his glare, but at the complete lack of emotion in his matter-of-fact statement. "Yes."_

_"And do you think that I will comply?"_

_She gulped her dignity down her throat. "Y-Yes..."_

_"Sugiyama Saeri, after, one; putting me through a week of non-stop interrogation by basically everybody I have met, including myself, on a relationship I have absolutely no recognition of with a person I have barely known for a couple of days," the teen model could not stop his voice from rising and his temper from flaring, "two; refusing to come clean even after meeting my friends and me, and three; slapping my head and accusing me of being a pervert to an entire restaurant even though I have never touched even a single strand of your hair," his hands threw themselves up in an explosion of incredulity and anger, "DO YOU _HONESTLY_ THINK THAT I WILL ACTUALLY COMPLY?!"_

_The girl flinched and backed up instinctively at his outburst. Bringing her hands down from her face, she once again beseeched the seething male. "K-Kise-san! Please, think it through-"_

_"Have_ you_ thought _anything_ through?!"_

_"Being in a relationship with me has its benefits too!" She blinked in unease after spluttering out, and immediately sought to correct her appeal, "wait, that didn't come out right. I-I mean, it will be good for you if you play along as well!"_

_"Oh," Kise raised his eyebrows mockingly, "do explain."_

Oh crap, I _really_ didn't think it through... _Wracking her brains for whatever sort of difficulties that the seemingly perfect boy might have, the brunette fought a cry of despair and decided to stake everything on her tongue, which seemed to have a life of its own that strived to torment hers. In a diplomatic tone which was clearly forced, she started her reasoning. "Kise-san, surely being both a successful model and basketball ace, you have very, very, very little time in between shootings and practices, right? And yet, you're still heckled with a queue of annoying girls as long as the distance between Kanagawa and Kyoto asking-, no, _demanding_ that you reciprocate their feelings. But you simply have no time, energy and mood for that kind of nonsense."_

_Despite the exaggeration, Kise found familiarity in her words. Frown lightening slightly, he ventured, "your point is?"_

_"I mean, think about it, amidst all the rage and despair expressed so openly and violently by your fans, didn't you realise that the words 'please be my boyfriend' have disappeared almost completely?" Saeri mentally offered her soul to both the angels and the devils for her speech to not sound like utter bull. Swallowing another culmination of nervous spit, she continued, "eventually, everybody will get over the fact that you're attached and they will finally leave you alone seeing that you already have a girlfriend. And this is the best part," she held a finger up persuasively, "you don't actually have one."_

This girl is mad, this girl is _insane_. She is out of her mind!_ The blonde nailed a searing glare at her dark eyes and took a deep breath, preparing his storming self to... admit that she actually made sense._

_"Come on! Being in a relationship with me is practically being in a relationship with no one!" Her smile felt like a deadlift on her facial muscles, "I live all the way in Kyoto, so we don't even have to meet, let alone send me home or bring me out on dates or any of the stuff that boyfriends do. And since we will be in a pretend relationship, we don't actually have to talk to each other or send mushy things to each other! The most that I will be is a name on your contacts list!"_

_His silence and softening stare did wonders to her confidence, and she found the will to shuffle closer back to him, palms raised and clasped together. "Kise-san, please agree with me! You will finally be free, your conscience will be free; you don't have to break anymore hearts! This is a great deal for you! The number of your fans might even increase, since virtually every girl is a sucker for sweet, dedicated guys, and the long-distance relationship factor will only raise your admirable devotion."_

_Faced with the prospect of actually being free from hankering girls, Kise could not deny the pragmatism of her request. Indeed, despite enjoying the attention and adoration of his fans, his greatest trouble (aside from beating his basketball rivals and earning acknowledgement from Kurokocchi) had always been rejecting confessions from girls he had no interest in. Sure, while most of them claimed their love solely based on his popularity and looks, there were those who seemed to genuinely feel for him, and he always felt a part of his soul chipping off whenever they imposed him with teary eyes. Could this girl and her lie actually be the escape route from it all...?_

_"I-I mean, I'm not a bad catch myself," Saeri mumbled, subconsciously tucking her hair behind a ear and sticking her bottom lip out slightly, "as the vice-president of my club, I'm quite a good dancer, and I am decently popular in school... My grades are quite remarkable if I do say so myself, and honestly, I-I think I'm g-good looking. If it helps, I have a nice family too." She cast her eyes onto the ground, but raised her voice for enunciation, "c-c-c-can you f-find someone with s-such a perfect c-combination?!"_

_He simply maintained his steely glare._

_"I-I'm really sorry about slapping you and calling you a pervert just now," she squeaked, body relapsed to its apologetic form of a ducked head with raised, clasped hands. "It was the only way to get out of that situation and give me a chance to escape! I am really, really sorry about making you the scapegoat!" A dark eye peeked out, "but you have to admit that it was a pretty ingenious of me to thi-" and promptly shut tight at what is saw, "I-I'm sorry."_

_This was it. Her dignity had long been unsalvageable. The passing afternoon breeze took with it five full minutes of complete silence and Saeri was almost ready to drop her shoulders in defeat to think of a plausible explanation for her friends._

_"My terms."_

_Her neck snapped up to face the scowling blonde. "H-Huh?"_

_"The relationship will go on my terms," Kise commanded in a severe tone, his arms still tightly crossed. "You will tell everybody the story that I want you to."_

_The girl could not hide her beam, which grew wider and noisier with uncontrollable squeals of joy and relief. If she had to list the best moments of her life, this would come second below her (yet unachieved) marriage into the Akashi family._

_"Yes, yes, yes!" Her brown head bobbed up and down excitedly and tears threatened to spill, "Kise-san, thank you so much! Thank you so very, very much! I will do anything and everything that you ask me to! Thank you so much!"_

_Despite the heavy frown set on his brows and mood, a corner of his lips could not help but lift at her seemingly contagious happiness._

_"Everything and anything, you say...?"_

...

To his credit, Kise Ryouta was genuinely a nice person to the core of his heart and hated taking advantage of anybody despite his meteoric success in life as a celebrity. Thus, he hardly bothered Saeri with requests (the great distance helped as well), and the girl could not help but fear that this colossal amount of fortune was a loan from the Heavens that she needed to compensate with misfortune of equal proportion.

"Oh, that's right," Keiko said abruptly, meeting her junior's eyes with raised brows, "Chiaki-chan's not in school today?"

"Yes, unfortunately. She caught a rather bad cold, and Fujiko-sensei has to attend a teaching seminar," the brunette was thankful for the change of topic, but not the topic itself, for... "I'll have to take charge today."

It was not the case that Saeri dreaded authority (she was the Vice-President for goodness' sake!), but she dreaded the fear of being unable to withhold it as well as Chiaki. Her softer personality often lowered her assertiveness, and it has culminated in some inefficiency on her part and raised several questions to her legitimacy as a leader by some of the more opinionated members. Furthermore, today's practise was particularly crucial as it was for a performance as part of an opening community club's line-up the following week. Although its small weightage paled in comparison to their upcoming competition and larger acts, a performance was still a performance and thus important as any other.

"It's alright, Sae-chan. You're a great and worthy Vice-President. Just do what you have to do!"

The brunette smiled gratefully at the encouraging grin. With renewed determination to execute her job flawlessly and gain utmost respect from all of her peers, she put a hand on the room door and yanked it hard.

Only to reveal a troupe of changing ballerinas.

"Oh, sorry about this, Sugiyama," the resident teacher of the ballet club turned at the sound of a sliding door, "but we'll have to use the room today."

"Why?" Saeri inquired, brows dipping, "the room's supposed to be ours today!"

"Sorry, Sugiyama-_chan_," Shijima Mariko slinked up, lips smiling deviously, "Chikako can't make it to tomorrow's practise, so the Ballet and Street Dance clubs are switching days."

"Why wasn't I informed of this earlier?" the brunette felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as a crowd of her members started to build up curiously, having arrived at the scene, "and that's your problem! You can't compromise the schedules of my dancers for this!"

"Yeah," a voice called out from behind, "I have tuition tomorrow!"

"Me too!"

"I have to attend a wedding."

A careless, apathetic shrug. "Then just cancel practise today. Give everyone a break. Fujitani-sensei and Kirishima are absent anyway."

"We have a performance next week!" Saeri struggled to level her temper before the teacher. "We can't miss anymore practises!"

"Then find another place. The gymnasium's," Mariko gave a pointed smirk, "pretty good for dancing. It's spacious and has a smooth floor."

Keiko protested, "but the Basketball Club is using it today as well!"

"I know, that's why I have already made arrangements," the Ballet teacher offered, propping her spectacles up. "Shirogane-sensei agreed to share. Your club is to use only a third of the gym, the one closest to the stage."

"But-"

"Take it or leave it, Sugiyama," Mariko spat, earning affronted glares from the street dancers.

"Lowly degenerates don't have a choice."

* * *

**Liar, Liar**

_**Six in the Mix**_

* * *

"I can't believe this!"

"If Chiaki was here, we would have kicked those snobs out of our room!"

"Saeri's just not strong enough."

"How dare she called us 'degenerates'!"

"I hope that those ballers won't give us any trouble. We already have enough as it is."

Saeri tried to block the redundantly whispered laments of her club members by focusing on her pre-warm-up stretch, but to little futility as her every sentence still took a sharp stab to her heart. As she pressed her cheek to a leg, she spotted an approaching reflection off the immaculately polished floor of the gymnasium.

"Don't let it affect you, Saeri," Ryousuke gave a crooked smile as she straightened her back to face him, "everyone's just angry that Shijima got one over us."

"I know, Ryou, but-"

"Just be a little firmer this practise, they'll listen, and understand why you have to be harsh."

The brunette stood up to concede a smile to her friend, deciding that it would be tedious and take too long for her to air her grievances. It was then a team of extraordinarily tall males sauntered into the hall, some with questioning expressions.

"You can start now," her fellow dancer raised his eyebrows, pursing his lips and giving her an encouraging thump on her arm.

Saeri closed her eyes and took a deep breath, expelling as much negativity as she could in a big sigh. I can do this. _I'm the Vice-President of Rakuzan's Street Dance club, the best crew in Japan! Alright, I won't let you down, Chiaki! _With conviction radiating off her smile and eyes, she took confident strides towards the newcomers...

...only to falter the moment their leader emerged.

"U-Um, Shirogane-sensei gave us permission," she informed in a voice with the strength of cracked glass, feeling faint under the resonant drumming of her heart as his heterochromatic eyes scrutinized her every cell. "We'll only be using a third of the gym."

"I was already notified," Akashi Seijuro replied tonelessly. If he recalled ('correctly' was not an option, but a given), this girl was the one who used her affections for him as a decoy to divert attention away from her relationship with Ryouta. Pushing frivolities aside, his jacket-clad shoulders began to turn, "don't disrupt our training."

The pretend-relationship that Saeri shared with Kise had produced an unexpected problem; due to the publicity surrounding it, she had no choice but to keep her adoration for the redhead as under wraps as possible, lest she be branded as a 'cheater'. Nonetheless, her passion only burned stronger, and she was convinced that their courtship would be able to resume once her 'break-up' with Kise was announced.

_Don't get nervous, don't get nervous,_ the dancer chanted consolations in her mind as she felt heat rising up to her cheeks. _He's just Akashi Seijuro, who I used as a decoy to divert attention away from my relationship with Ryouta. Yes, that's it, I think nothing of you, for I am the girlfriend of the most popular Zunon model, Kise Ryouta. I bet he plays better basketball than you too! GAH!_ She clenched her fist to stop them from clawing out her wailing brain. _Who am I kidding?! This is _Akashi Seijuro_, undisputedly the most impressive guy on Earth, the only love of my life and my future hubby! My future happiness is on the line here, DON'T SCREW THIS UP, SUGIYAMA SAERI!_

"Y-Yes," the brunette spluttered, mirroring his motion, "we won't."

As her eyes met with Ryousuke's, the handsome dancer gestured furtively, donning an invigorated expression on his face as he mouthed the words _'firm up'_ to her. Grasping his intended message, Saeri nodded quite uncertainly and then turned her attention to her waiting club members.

"A-Alright," she placed her hands on her hips in attempt to look important, ready to pass instructions in a smooth and impressive voice. However, her throat had different plans, and thus she squawked an "EVERYBODY PREPARE FOR WARM-UP RIGHT NOW! AKIHITO, LEAD THE WAY!" instead.

"U-Uh," the PT Charge blinked in mild surprise and bewilderment, before sense kicked in an he began to jog on the spot, "okay, guys, ten laps around the gym first! Follow my pace!"

The Vice-President crumpled her face in despair as she caught her partner's gaze once again, who simply shook his head and shrugged helplessly before moving his feet. As Saeri trailed behind the group in the corridors around the gymnasium, she could vaguely hear the basketball captain's effortlessly commanding voice delivering controlled instructions.

* * *

"Nishiko! Your form isn't straight enough!"

"Oi, Yuzu! What's with those sloppy movements?"

"Eiji! Not enough emotion on your face! Man up!"

As Saeri shouted her observations and comments, she had a rising optimism that she was finally exercising her assertiveness as a leader. Those who usually had too much to say were finally quiet for once, and the routine, while not entirely perfect, went smoothly and her dancers corrected themselves quick enough. Not to mention, the choreography was impressive and alluring (credits to their coach and Chiaki), to say the least. Although she had to sit out dancing to monitor their movements, the brunette could not suppress the hope that a certain redheaded basketball captain was watching her and her crew.

"Alright, five minutes are up! We'll run through the dance again," she bent over the boombox to restart the track, "and I'll join in this time!"

"How about a longer break, Sae?" Rikiya panted, hands planted on his knees, "you've been drilling us non-stop!"

"No, no, no, Riki," she tut-tutted, striding over to her position, "the perf's just next week! Work now, rest later!"

With a turn of her head, she found herself a jolt of pleasant surprise as she noticed Akashi surveying her group instead of an on-going three-on-three half court match between his players. Initially self-conscious to an unbearable extent at the slightly suggestive moves of the routine, Saeri now saw it as a God-sent opportunity to impress her soon-to-be significant other. As the music played, she allowed her body to do its thing.

However, they had only gotten to the first chorus of the song before she was forced to fall out of the formation to attend to the approaching basketball captain.

"Y-Yes?" The Vice-President asked, stooping shortly to press the 'pause' button on the boombox.

The enigma simply surveyed the group of curious dancers with crossed arms and cold eyes, straight lips yet unopened.

_Oh my God, is he going to tell me how well I- we danced?_ Saeri thought madly and incoherently as she waited with bated breath, trying her best to bite a smile down. _Oh my God, how do I react? What should I say?_

"Please leave the gymnasium, the antics of you and your group are distracting my players."

_Wait... _"W-What?"

"I hate to repeat myself."

Although their height difference was not devastatingly great, Akashi used it to his full advantage to render Saeri feeling as small and insignificant as possible, and it made her blood run cold in her veins. She could not believe how a simple, apathetic glare could be delivered in a manner so demeaning that she had to question her reason for even breathing, and like picked ice, her image of the perfect Akashi heir was slowly chipping at the severe weight of his words.

Miraculously, she found her voice beneath the rubble of her self-esteem. "But how? We are just minding our own business!"

"The music is playing too loudly, the public show of indecent gestures is inciting inappropriate feelings within my players," as he spoke the latter words, he directed a reprimanding stare to his teammates behind, some of whom looked away ashamedly, "and you command the respect of your subordinates far too obnoxiously. And unsuccessfully, if I may add."

He began his return to his team without waiting for her response, as though it did not matter. "You have five minutes. Enough time has been wasted already."

With swishes of his makeshift mantle, he left a gaping Saeri in his wake.

"A-Anego, let's just go!" Daichi whispered, his own eyes wide in fear at what he had witnessed.

Even the other members agreed to allow their Vice-Captain leniency this time.

"Yeah, let's go! He's not one to offend."

"That Akashi dude gives me the bad vibes. Let's leave, Saeri, it's fine."

"I heard that Akashi-kun could be very nice. How wrong! He's such a jerk!"

"Even Chiaki won't be able to deal with this."

"Come on, let's go!"

As the brunette stepped towards the dance props dazedly, a thousand different emotions swirled within the whirlpool of her heart, his unfeeling words replaying themselves repeatedly in her mind. The more his voice spoke, the more her conscience ached, and the more violently her chest stormed. Feelings spiralling out of control, she identified the most prominent and powerful emotion as... anger.

"Saeri, what are you doing?!" Ryousuke urged as his dance partner snatched a stool out of the array of props and proceeded to stalk towards the walking basketball captain.

Having sensed her approaching presence, Akashi paused and turned around expectantly. However, probably even his Emperor Eye could not have foreseen the spectacle that unfolded. Jaws, balls, bottles and towels fell to the ground as Reo, Kotaro, Eikichi and the rest of the Rakuzan High Basketball Club dropped whatever they were holding. On the other end of the gymnasium, their Street Dance counterparts gawked speechlessly.

Saeri had defied the laws of the universe. She dropped the stool right before his composed but surprised form and planted two firm feet upon it, turning the tables from before by passing her the height advantage now. Although her indignant glare was met with a defiant, impervious one from below, her emotional trajectory was not to be impeded.

The heterochromatic redhead before her was not Akashi Seijuro. He was a threat to the morale of her club-mates.

"Look, I don't care and neither do I need you to tell me that I'm not the most respected leader around, because I already knew that and have been trying my best to overcome that for the entire day, and hence my 'obnoxious' way of commanding," as it had been doing so for the past month, her heart and tongue had once again wrestled control from her brain and all rationality. But unlike the previous instances, her speech this time was clear and justified, accompanying her mimicry of his crossed arms, "and I'm sorry if our music was playing too loudly. But don't you dare call my crew disruptive. It's not our fault that your players can't keep it in. Heck, we have male dancers, are you telling me that your teammates are gay?! The boys' locker room sure has it own share of secrets, huh! If the famous basketball heroes of Rakuzan are as great as the rumours say, shouldn't they exercise better discipline?"

The scowl on Akashi's face intensified in linear correlation to the tension within the hall. However, Saeri could not stop the unbelievable words from rolling off her tongue.

"And 'indecent gestures'? My coach and my President have worked very hard to arrange the choreography. Each activity has its own form of beauty, and I'm sorry that you do not know how to appreciate the beauty of dance, much like how I cannot appreciate the beauty of... boys playing with balls," she shot a fleeting glance at the group of giants, "but don't make unnecessary insults when you know _nothing_ of the blood and sweat that we've shed. And one more thing you've made a mistake on; they are _not_ my subordinates. They are my _crewmates _whom I respect as talented dancers in their own rights. I _pity_ your team for having such a power freak for a captain."

Sense finally grounded itself into the raging dancer's mind, presenting her weakness in the form of a horrified, wide-eyed realisation of what she had just done and said. Intercepting this opening instantly, Akashi proceeded to step up on the stool as well, allowing him to hammer the most glacial glare down onto her.

"I understood _none_ of the incoherent drivel you've just spewed," if it was even possible, his voice was far icier. "_Leave_."

The close proximity of their bodies have summoned the humbler Saeri back, and losing every silver of confidence, her innate intuition demanded that she back down in the face of Wrath himself. Feet falling back onto the wooden gymnasium ground, her gaze remained helplessly and dangerously transfixed on his, akin to that of a moth to fire.

The warning he gave was absolute and not to be tested. A new fear arose within her that if she loitered here any longer, there would be consequences.

Finally mustering a blink, she stammered to her crew, "g-guys! We're leaving!"

They saved her the hazard of further stalling by greeting her with packed props. All they needed now was her affirmation to exit the crushing atmosphere. Once they had shuffled to a safe distance away, the disgraced Vice-President hung her head in shame, drawing questioning stares from the others in front.

"I'm sorry guys," she bit her lip, bottled tears finally spilling, "we hardly got anything done because I'm such a horrible, spineless leader."

"What are you talking about, anego? You were awesome back there!"

"Yeah!" She looked up to see approving smiles around, "I doubt even Fujiko-sensei could stand up to that monster! You were really brave."

"We said really mean and untrue things about you. Sorry."

"You're the best Vice-Prez ever!"

Saeri felt as though she had lost a battle but won a war. Sniffling and wiping the leaked drops from her eyes, she nodded in acknowledgement, seeking Ryousuke for confirmation. Smiling, he thumped her arm once again, "come on, let's find another place to practise."

Unbeknownst to the celebrating troupe, red and yellow eyes had followed the retreating back of its leader until it was out of sight, then trailed to the forgotten stool the basketball captain was standing upon. Feeling fearful, anticipating stares on him, the redhead stepped down with frightening composure.

"Training will resume as per normal."

* * *

**A/N: Firstly, I cannot apologise enough for this incredibly long update. Life's been unexpectedly busy, and time was extremely tight. I cannot say for certain when the next one will be up as well, but I'll do my best!**

**Secondly, words cannot express the gratitude I have to** AmaranthineImbalance, Ninja99, animelover1990 , smac3993 , PhoenixRage92, hokkyokukou, princess thieves of heart, NeutralEvilz,S.S. Records, Marquise de Nile, , SnowstormX** and** deepseptember** for the reviews, as well as those who have read, followed and favourite this story. Who knew lies could be so well-received? XP I have been reading everything you all have said, and really itched to write and give you all the new chapter as thanks, but time... :'( **

**I have read my previous chapters realised a ton of grammar mistakes and odd phrasings. Not sure if you all can tell from that that English's not my first language (and I know that this is NO excuse), but I'm sorry for all of them, and the new ones that will appear in this new chapter. If it's of any consolation and amendments, English is my favourite language and I'm always striving to perfect it to the best of my ability! :)**

**How was this chapter? I hope that I've answered doubts from the previous chapters, and if they aren't plausible, I'll correct them in the next chapter/ a rewrite of this one. To be honest, I wrote/typed the scene with Akashi with extreme trepidation and a whole lot of reservations as Saeri's made a an extremely direct attack on his control of power. As always, I hope that I've portrayed him correctly! And Kise as well. Please do highlight any inaccuracies you find, and I will do my best to address and correct them!**

**Until then...**

**Thoughts? :)**

**P/S: I find the chapter titles to be extremely... LOL/facepalm-worthy. Sorry... *bows deeply***


	8. Seven Sins

**From:** Sugiyama Saeri**  
To: **Kise Ryouta

**(Today, 9:03pm)**

_Hypothetically speaking, if a girl (who you rejected once) sort of told you off in front of your senior friends (who actually respect you more than you do them), would you hate her and strike her off your list (even though you two are kinda meant to be)? This is purely hypothetical, of course. Let's just say that in this context, you're kinda like the perfect guy who has never been challenged like this before (once again, hypothetical), and with your sheer (hypothetically powerful) presence, you managed to put her back in place with a simple sentence. Still, how would you feel about this girl? Um, this is just a hypothetical question. And she has a boyfriend._

**.**

**From:** Kise Ryouta  
**To:** Sugiyama Saeri

**(Today, 9:09pm)**

_What?!_

**_._**

**From:** Sugiyama Saeri  
**To:** Kise Ryouta

**(Today, 9:27pm)**

_Just answer me. Oh, and she only told you off because you were talking smack about her club. What would you do, or more precisely, what would you think of her?_

**_._**

**From: **Kise Ryouta  
**To: **Sugiyama Saeri

**(Today, 9:30pm)**

_Um, since I was in the wrong, I would understand her retaliation and let it slide?_

**_._**

**From: **Sugiyama Saeri  
**To: **Kise Ryouta

**(Today, 9:45pm)**

_No, you don't understand! Hypothetically, you are never wrong. Well, it wasn't her fault either, but let's just say that things just happened that way. So?_

**.**

**From: **Kise Ryouta  
**To: **Sugiyama Saeri

**(Today, 9:47pm)**

_This is too weird for me to answer. Moreover, why are you texting me?_

**.**

**From: **Sugiyama Saeri  
**To: **Kise Ryouta

**(Today, 9:59pm)**

_Um, okay, here's another scenario then: let's just say that you are a girl, and you sort of told off the love of your life (who rejected you once) in front of his senior friends because he was talking smack about your club and passion. You sort of meant it, but it also came out unintentionally at the spur of the moment. Anyway, hypothetically speaking, now that you've kinda pissed him off, what would you do? What can you do? And you have to take into account that he's absolutely perfect and you cannot lose him. And, uh, hypothetically speaking, you're also in a highly publicised (fake) relationship. So, what would you do?_

**.**

**From: **Kise Ryouta  
**To: **Sugiyama Saeri

**(Today, 10:04pm)**

_Isn't that the exact same scenario but only in a different point of view?! And quit it with the 'hypothetical'-s already! It's so obvious that you're talking about yourself!_

**.**

**From: **Sugiyama Saeri  
**To: **Kise Ryouta

**(Today, 10:49pm)**

_Can't you just answer me?!_

**.**

**From: **Kise Ryouta**  
****To: **Sugiyama Saeri

**(Today, 10:53pm)**

_Shouldn't you use a nicer tone when asking somebody (who saved your social life!) for help?! And why are you taking so long to reply when you're the one who started this conversation in the first place?! And answer my question!_

**.**

**From: **Sugiyama Saeri  
**To: **Kise Ryouta

**(Today, 11:15pm)**

_I sincerely apologise, so please kindly answer my question. I'm busy studying, you see. And yes, that was the exact same scenario in a different point of view. _

**.**

**From: **Kise Ryouta**  
****To: **Sugiyama Saeri

**(Today, 11:20pm)**

_You're kinda pissing me off right now?! And not that one!_

**.**

**From: **Sugiyama Saeri**  
****To: **Kise Ryouta

**(Today, 11:40pm)**

_Just joking! And I'm done studying now, by the way. Um, because you're the only person who knows about my situation?_

**.**

**From: **Kise Ryouta**  
To: **Sugiyama Saeri

**(Today, 11:42pm)**

_True that. And you sure are hardworking, huh? _

**.**

**From: **Sugiyama Saeri**  
****To: **Kise Ryouta

**(Today, 11:44pm)**

_Well, how else am I supposed to top the cohort? My grades are still below his though... If he had been given a normal education instead of a special one as requested by his family, I would be second._

**.**

**From: **Kise Ryouta**  
****To: **Sugiyama Saeri

**(Today, 11:47pm)**

_Wow, he sounds like somebody I know. Anyway, about your problem, I'm guessing that the best thing you can do is to pretend that it never happened? I mean, if I were him, I would like bygones to be bygones. _

**_._**

**From: **Sugiyama Saeri  
**To: **Kise Ryouta

**(Today, 11:50pm)**

_But the thing is, you're not him! _

**_._**

**From: **Kise Ryouta**  
****To: **Sugiyama Saeri

**(Today, 11:51pm)**

_That's why it's 'hypothetical', isn't it?! Then what was the point of you troubling me with all those questions?!_

**_._**

**From: **Sugiyama Saeri**  
To: **Kise Ryouta

**(Today, 11:52pm)**

_I don't know why either! Alright, whatever, it's getting late. Goodnight._

**_._**

**From: **Kise Ryouta**  
To: **Sugiyama Saeri

**(Today, 11:53pm)**

_You're really confusing me, you know! Goodnight!_

**_._**

And so, simultaneously in Kanagawa and Kyoto, two mobile phones were thrown exasperatedly onto tables.

* * *

**Liar, Liar**

_**Seven Sins**_

* * *

"E-Excuse me."

Had Mibuchi Reo not taken the effort to tilt his neck, he would not have spotted the apprehensive brunette cowering behind the gymnasium door. Registering her face in mind, his body recoiled from a shooting posture. "Oh, aren't you that girl who scolded our captain?"

"Yes," she glanced around cautiously, whispering, "is he here?"

"Nope," he tucked the ball between his arm and torso, studying her casual dance attire under long lashes, "not yet, at least. I'm the first here since my class ended early."

The inscrutable smile on his lips lengthened when she heaved a loud sigh upon hearing his words, as though the weight of the world had just been lifted off her shoulders.

"You gave us quite a show last week. And some trouble too, if I may add," the second-year remarked casually to the approaching girl, "Sei-chan doesn't take it too kindly when brave, foolish souls oppose him. Even if they're girls. Come to think of it, you're the first girl to look down on him like that."

_Sei-chan?! What an affectionate nickname...! _Saeri hoped that she would not have to deal with any of the basketball starters, considering their (in)famously eccentric personalities (and her jealousy of their close friendship with Akashi), but now she would have to manage. Fortunately, out of the three second-year monsters, Mibuchi Reo seemed to possess the highest sense of normalcy, and so it gave her the courage to relax a little bit. She chose to announce the reason for her arrival rather than address what he had said. "My club left a prop behind last Friday, may I have it back? We kinda need it for a rehearsal."

"Oh, your accomplice," -she could not afford to relax around _that_ smile, however-, "I'm afraid you'll have to wait for Sei-chan to arrive. It's in our club room and the keys are with him."

_What?! No way!_ She gawked slightly at the uniform-clad male, who merely continued to smile. _Do I look like I want to die?!_

"Um, then is it possible for _you_ to pass it to me later? I'll come back in half an hour again," her palms met with a resounding clap as she bowed, speaking so pleadingly that it strained her voice. "Please? The upperclassmen are supposed to help their juniors out, right? And somebody as great as your captain need not bother himself with trivial matters like this, right? Please, senpai! Please! It _has_ to be _you_!"

Unfortunately, it incited amusement rather than sympathy within the senior.

"Don't tell me," Reo cocked his head to the side as he observed her compelling form, his voice a teasing lilt, "you're scared of Sei-chan?"

_I take it back,__ I rather face that gormless-looking gorilla Nebuya than this scheming fox! _Straightening her back, she composed her face to respond with a challenging smirk of faux confidence. "If I dare say, senpai, aren't you all as well?"

Reo chuckled. "What sass you've got there. Anyway, you'll have to take responsibility for your own actions, darling," he shifted his weight onto a foot, his amusement heightening as he elicited another affronted gape from her.

"What?!" Saeri cried, her fists beginning to clench, "No! Senpai, you can't possibly-"

He tut-tutted, wagging a finger before her, "responsibility, my dear."

"But I-"

"Hush."

"Bu-"

The Uncrowned General effectively canned her protests with a quirk of his eyebrow, as though daring her to disrespect him by continuing. Defeated, Saeri angrily blew at her fringe to calm herself down, formulating the purpose of her visit in words for the basketball captain.

Although their encounter from the previous week had conjured within her a new, tiny sense of fear towards him, the intense affection she had for the Akashi heir was not to waver, and it soon drowned whatever doubts she had developed. In fact, the only issue that caused her heart to perform acrobatic stunts repeatedly over the weekend (aside from contemplating the consequences of her outburst) was her mind's relieving of the moment when he stepped up onto the stool, where their bodies were separated only by a hair's width. _A hair's width_. She could _feel_ the heat radiating off his unblemished skin. If only something like that were to happen again...

"Then," she sighed distractedly as the scene played involuntarily in her mind, "please tell him..." _to declare his undying love for me on the top of Mt. Fuji._

"I'm sorry?" Reo stooped slightly and cupped a ear apologetically. "Declare his what?"

"Please tell him-" Like bear traps would in the opposite direction, dark brown eyes snapped wide open.

The words had _escaped_.

"I-I-I mean...!" She flung her head up in a manner most deranged to face the smiling senior. "W-What I m-meant..."

_SHIIIT...!_ A biting cold attacked her throat and chest. _I have to play this off, I have to play this off! _

Spurred by a surge of adrenaline, the brunette thrust her finger out at the Uncrowned General, passing the flustered heat on her cheeks off as a rush of angry blood. "T-Tell that tomato-head to declare his apology to me and my club on the school stage!"

Drawing back in mild surprise at her sudden lash, Reo pressed a hand onto his chest. "Oh?"

"Just as the Westerners said, r-redheads have no soul!" Saeri continued her false tirade, keeping a forceful front to hide her inner turmoil. _Lies! I'm so sorry, my dear,_ her heart groaned under the agony of her conscience,_ you know that I don't really think of you this way!_ "Calling my dance 'indecent'? He must be blind! Maybe that's why his eyes are so" _-beautiful-_ "weird!"

_Nothing could be more entertaining than this_, Reo decided, stifling a giggle with his free hand, _nothing could beat this... _

_-e_xcept for that figure standing by the gymnasium door, silent and unnoticed by the brunette between them.

"So what if he's the first-year Student Council President? So what if he's the first-year Basketball Captain?" The street dance vice-president huffed, crossing her arms for a good show and good measure. _So what if he's so gorgeously perfect? So what if he's going to be the father of my babies?_ "Does that give him the right to make us leave just because he said so? I hold a leadership position as well! We're technically and practically equals," _-in the future, as husband and wife-._ "He should have the basic courtesy to at least treat me with more respect!"

As his eyes flitted to and fro the ranting girl and his approaching captain, Reo sincerely wondered if alerting or praying for her would be the better course of action at the moment.

He decided on the latter.

"How is it possible for him to be the only heir of a wealthy, established family with that awful attitude? So rude, with absolutely no qualities of a gentleman _at all_. Did his father forget to pay for his lessons in chivalry or what?" Untangling her arms to raise them in a shrug, her line of sight finally returned to the basketball player's face to gauge his response-

"what a self-centred, arrogant, little..."

-and trailed off the moment she noticed where his attention was focused on.

...

It _couldn't_ be...

...

Her fate was sealed. Wisely choosing not to turn around, she attempted a struggle against it.

"I-I-I mean, what a-a selfless, e-elegant, little-to-no f-flaws lady-killer..." Saeri felt her soul raise the white flag while her brain wailed and screamed for all the horror in this world and beyond. _KILL THIS LADY NOW, PLEEEASE...!_

"Ah, _Sei-chan_," a part of the purple-haired senior guiltily relished sending pikes into the girl's frozen form, "did your special class end early?"

"The teacher wanted to tutor me in a topic I am already proficient in," as flat as the heartbeats of the dead. "I dismissed her."

Saeri could not decide which constituted the greatest cause for the crawling chill burning the back of her neck: his cool, toneless (once melodious) voice, the increasing volume of his footsteps, or the sheer horror of wondering how long he had been standing there for.

"Sugiyama Saeri, is it?"

Akashi stopped beside the petrified girl, who up till now never noticed how predatory his miscoloured eyes actually were. The corners of his lips lifted by a fraction, which was precisely the reason why it was so. Absolutely._ Terrifying_.

"You were saying?"

Her name from his lips carried the force of a landing meteor, and the brunette has never wished for death so desperately as she did now. Knowing that he loathed stalling, she miraculously conjured up a smile.

"Saying?" She repeated in a voice lighter than air, too catatonic to even stammer, "I was just _asking_ if I could have my club's stool back."

His flawless, porcelain cheeks rose higher, and she felt her blood pressure doing the same.

"I see."

Akashi then started to turn, his paralyzing stare still lingering.

"This way."

As her feet rediscovered their purpose, Saeri let out the most pitiful whimper that Reo has ever heard in his life.

* * *

"So, I'll head to the changing room first."

The effeminate General had announced the moment all three figures entered the spacious dwelling of Rakuzan High Basketball Club, deciding that watching the interaction between his two juniors possessed the exact same effect of watching a crush video. _Simply tragic._ Without ceremony, he slipped away after receiving his captain's permission, but briefly paused at the door to offer the girl a sympathetic pout.

Saeri, mentally cursing the lady-boy to Hell and back, had already predicted such a scenario, and thus attempted very desperately to console herself with the fact that she now was now finally alone with _the_ Akashi Seijuro, the man of her dreams. However, it was the very same solitude that simultaneously flayed her every nerve.

"Wait here," the redhead said before disappearing behind a closet. As the sounds of shifting boxes reverberated from within the cabinet, the dancer could not help but wonder if he was searching for something in the nature of a murder weapon, and was a second close to making a beeline for the exit when rationality kicked in. _No, of course he's just looking for my stool,_ she thought wildly, an empty smile stuck frozen on her paling face, _Seijuro-kun, you won't do anything to me, right? I mean, I-I'm your future honey! The love of your life, your darling and your wife!_

Indeed, he re-emerged with a familiar stool in hand, and a vision of him pummelling her to death with it had briefly flashed across her mind. Having understood how precious her life and time was, Saeri swiftly reached a hand out to grasp at the small chair, every muscle in her legs ready for launch. "Well, s-sorry to trouble you like this, Akashi-kun. I guess I'll make my leave now."

However, the stool simply would not budge. Raising her eyes to meet his, she tried to tilt her head in the most innocent fashion possible. "A-Akashi-kun?"

An unsettling sensation began to prick at her skin as she noticed that something was amiss.

"Disobedient dogs," he started softly, ominously, dangerously, "are _most troubling_."

Something in his voice triggered every alarm in her head and seized her heart with terror.

No, it _shattered_ it.

She could barely breathe.

_What...?_

A sudden yank on the stool forced Saeri forwards, where she was compromised to stare up in fright.

High above, viewing her as though she was lower than scum on his shoes. "I am willing to overlook your past frivolities, but you seem to possess a misconception I simply cannot tolerate."

Fear forbade her to even blink.

"Allow me to clear it." He spoke down, the very manner he was born to converse in. "I am _astonished_ that you could even fathom such an absurdity."

Utter. Peril.

"Make no mistake. I have _no_ equal_," _he dropped the words like a guillotine, "much less_ you_."

Saeri could see it. She could finally see how little her reflection was in his eyes. Her life, dyed in hues of red and yellow. Hues of blood and gold.

The hues of an emperor.

...How _little_ she was beneath him, how little she had _always_ been.

_Just what kind of impossibility have I been chasing...?_ A voice asked for the first time, within her churning mind, within her churning chest.

"I shall allow you one more chance," Akashi sentenced, the fiery glints of his eyes glaring brighter than the lights above, "cross me again, and I _will_," he paused briefly for the gravity to sink into her, "guarantee the end of you."

Indomitable, unmovable.

The true nature of Akashi Seijuro.

_Unattainable._

She was_ blind_ to not see it before.

He released his iron grip, and the recoil sent Saeri stumbling in a fall. She recovered in time to see the departure of his creaseless back, a view she felt doomed to see for as long as she pursued it.

Numb shock was the only force damming up her eyes, and hence, before it could wear off, Saeri bolted.

* * *

At least the inky night sky had spots of stars to lighten its darkness. Saeri's heart was an abyss saturated in pitch black.

Dance practise was absolutely awful; the stool prop pulverized her insides every time her eyes fell upon it, her body had the fluidity of a statue, and she could not alleviate her desolation with her friends and crewmates no matter how hard they tried to pry with concern. It was an emotional feat that she was able to contain her tears throughout the four hours, and now, finally alone on a pathway to her residence, the waterworks finally commenced.

Her pocket soon started quivering, however, and it endured long enough for her to pick her cell phone out of it.

"Hello?"

"...yeah?"

"I just wanted- _wait_." On the other end of the line, the coarse, shaky voice dawned a sense of perturbation within Kise. "Wait, a-are you _crying_?"

"N-No..." An obnoxiously loud sniffle.

"Stop lying! You're definitely crying!" He cursed the morass he had just stepped in and quietly groaned for his folly of choosing this particular time to call. Despite himself, the compassionate streak in him obligated him to ask, "u-um, so, what happened?"

"..."

Perhaps he would know if he understood the meaning behind a bout of whimpering, snorting and sobbing. Predicting that he was going to lose quite some time, the blonde briefly searched his familiar surroundings and decided on a wooden bench along the pavement, supposing that his family could start dinner without him.

"Hello?" He tried again after five whole minutes of babbling from the speaker.

"..."

Still weeping tragically. The crying seemed to be getting louder as well.

Another five minutes. "Are you feeling better yet...?"

"..."

Chokes were thrown in this time.

Ten minutes. "_Now_?"

"..."

He surrendered. Out of all the broken hearts that sought him for repair, this was by far the most dismembered, and he wasn't even the one who crushed it! For God's sake, he had called on a casual whim for a very simple purpose, he intended it to be short! Furthermore, why was she always implicating him in one way or another? He wanted to end the call, not because it was troublesome, but simply because he was utterly clueless on how to respond. However, something amidst the heavy wailing prompted him to try, evoked him to hear what she had and offer comfort in anyway he could.

He couldn't just leave her like that.

"I-I'm in love with the wrong person," Saeri finally began, wandering into an empty basketball court in a park near her home and falling onto a bench, her face still red and tearing.

Kise sat up straight. "The guy you scolded? The one who rejected you?"

It was too late to retract his words. He could envision her bursting into a fresh waterfall of tears.

"W-Who else?!"

"Okay, I'm sorry! What did he do now?"

"...H-He started by calling me a dog. A d-disobedient dog."

"Uh, what the hell?"

"It wasn't entirely his fault! I mean," she choked, "I kind of started it as well? I don't know!" She exclaimed strenuously. "I don't know really how to explain it to you, I-I'll tell you what happened next time. Anyway, the point is, he is not what I thought he was. He's something... H-He's something..."

And another bout of wailing.

"Alright, alright, calm down," he soothed. However, despite knowing that it might worsen her emotional health, he could not resist a burning question he had. "All that guy seems to be capable of is breaking your heart, and possibly, break your soul in the future too. I mean, I don't really know the details, but shouldn't you have figured out that he isn't as perfect as you thought he was when he started to diss your club or whatever? Why are you still so moved by him? Shouldn't you start to learn to let go?"

"I-I sensed that there was something more to him when I encountered his wrath f-for the first time on Friday," she said after several moments of collecting herself, only to unravel once again when the trauma resurfaced, "but only today, when it only the both of us, I realised just how... impossible he is."

He waited for her to explain.

"T-That person, he's on another level. He's something impossible," she declared cryptically, "If I continue to wish after his back, I-I will_ suffer_. Loving him will be the death of me."

_So dramatic..._ A frown settled on his brow as a chill razed his skin at her statement. "If you know it, then-"

"But," she interjected, "I-I can't stop myself. I don't quite understand it, but chasing after him... it gives me a sense of purpose."

His mouth fell to a perplexed gape, her logic and emotions rendering him speechless._ She_ was the impossible one.

"Um... Okay...?" He mustered with much difficulty. Silence from the other end implied that her tears had already stopped, and an uneasy smile could finally take root on his lips. "H-Hey, cheer up, alright?"

Another loud sniff, but with finality.

Saeri mopped roughly at her cheeks. "Why did you call me?"

Albeit grateful for the change of topic, Kise felt quite ludicrous when he was reminded of it. "Oh, um, I just wanted to ask if you've done the online poll or not, but I guess it isn't important right now..."

"Yeah," the brunette nodded, still raw but healing. "I did it yesterday. A hundred times."

"A-A HUNDRED?!" He exclaimed, honestly, but pleasantly shocked. "Wow. I was expecting just sixty... Um, thanks."

"You're welcome."

"..."

Awkward silence in stead of static.

Despite some reluctance, a thought latched itself onto Kise's mind and conscience. Sighing, he asked in defeat. "Hey, when will you be back in Tokyo again?"

"I'm not very sure," she croaked, stirring her tired mind to recall what her mother had said the other day, "but probably next week?"

"Alright. Give me a call when you're going back."

Momentarily distracted, her brows now frowned the other way. "Why?"

"I promised to spend a day of fun with you the second time we met, didn't I?" His carefree effervescence started to melt her. "Well, you sound like you can do with some cheering up. Don't reject me this time."

Previously expecting that nothing could make her laugh, Saeri now proved herself wrong with a short chortle.

"Idiot!" the brunette said, heart lightening. "We're not really dating, you know?"

"Hn, that's my line!" Kise grinned and stood up to resume his path home, happy with the resolution. "Who knows, you might just fall in love with me, eh?"

"Unthinkable," she smiled, a spark of warmth digging its way up in her chest. "You'll be the first to fall."

* * *

**A/N: This chapter SHOULDN'T be up, considering the amount of studying I have to do, but... Oh well. *shrugs* *dies***

**So this chapter takes a sharp dive down Serious Lane (omg forgive my lameness). Did I pull it off well? *frantic* Writing Akashi scenes always make my heart pound and go cold for some reason... Once again, hope that he, Reo and Kise are in character! And you know what I said about the main pairing of this story being Kise and Saeri? Well, it still is and will be, but let's just say that I've changed my mind a little... ;) *mystic smoke***

**I honestly like the events of this chapter, but I'm not too satisfied about the flow of it. Critiques, please come forth! (but treat me with a little TLC, yeah? ;) Sorry, I'm a little in the Reo-mood now, if you get what I mean *shot*)**

**And Saeri's pretty pathetic at this point... And I know that she's displaying characteristics that are the total opposite of what Kise's and Akashi's types are. She'll come around soon. Hopefully. ;)**

**And once again, thank you so much, **AmaranthineImbalance**,** Marquise de Nile**,** x10TIMEx**,** princess thieves of heart**,** Ninja99**,** deepseptember**,** animelover1990**,** Kiseeee **and** CaribbeanTrinidadian** for your lovely, lovely reviews! I am eternally grateful for your loyal support (you know who you awesome people are)! And of course not to mention, the readers, favouriters and followers! *wet sloppy kisses for you all***

**Alright, adios! *salutes and winks* till next time, babehz~**

**Meanwhile... Thoughts? ;***


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